Lettuce stand problems in desert production areas are, in many instances, related to high seedbed temperatures and the use of seed coatings. We evaluated the use of fusicoccin and other growth regulators to improve the performance of naked and coated lettuce seeds at high temperature. Treatment of both naked and coated seeds with fusicoccin markedly increased the rate and total emergence of seedlings incubated at 35 °C for 10 hours alternating with 23 °C for 14 hours.

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The seed vigor of a super-sweet mutant of sweet corn (Sweetie 76) was compared to that of a traditional, non-mutant variety (Jubilee). The inherent seed vigor of a typical super-sweet corn mutant was considerably less than that of a traditional non-mutant variety. Leakage of reducing sugars from sweet corn seeds at a low temperature was not correlated with seed vigor.

Seeds of the commercial cultivar for seedless watermelons, TriX313, were separated into groups based on thickness in one experiment and on weight in another. Number of triploids and tetraploids were recorded for each category. There were no significant differences in ploidy levels based on either weight or seed thickness. Seeds from this same cultivar were treated with priming solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000), KNO3, and distilled water for three lengths of time (1,3, or 6 days). The seed was subsequently air-dried for 1 or 7 days and then tested for germination and emergence.

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