Testa (seed coat) retention by aubergine (Solanum melongena L.) seedlings during emergence in sand, peat and perlite

Testa (seed coat) retention by aubergine (Solanum melongena L.) seedlings during emergence in sand, peat and perlite

1999

A:PS

When seeds of aubergine cultivars Emi and Long Negro were covered with perlite after sowing, a large percentage of the seedlings were unable to shed the testa during emergence. Under conditions of high atmospheric humidity the cotyledons would be expected to subsequently free themselves of the testa, but in the warm, dry climate of the Mediterranean region (especially between June and September) this process is more difficult, and when the tips of both cotyledons were trapped within the testa, early plant growth was significantly inhibited. Testa retention was reduced when seeds were covered with peat, a mixture of peat and perlite, or with 1 cm sand, but when the sowing depth in sand was increased to 3 cm emergence was reduced. Osmoconditioning or soaking the seeds in cold water (15-18øC for 24 h) or warm water (45øC for 20 or 45 min also reduced testa retention, but deep (3 cm) sowing of seeds that had been treated for 45 min at 45øC reduced emergence.

v.12(1):73-78, PLANT VARIETIES & SEEDS

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