The primary grain in oat spikelets is larger than the secondary grain. Oat genotypes were grown to determine the effects of planting primary and secondary grains separately on vegetative and reproductive growth. Plants from primary seeds had higher yields than those from secondary seeds. The advantage was associated with earliness of heading. It was concluded that increased seed uniformity would be advantageous. / Reductions in panicle size by removal of all primary grains and some secondary grains indicated that secondary grains have more growth potential than observed in untreated panicles. However, secondary grains in the treated panicles did not achieve weights equalling those of primary grains in the untreated panicles. / Variation in primary:secondary seed weight ratios was found among experiments. The variability was attributed mainly to instability of secondary grain weight. / The inheritance of secondary grain weight and of the primary:secondary seed weight ratio was studied at two locations. For both traits, additive and non-additive genetic effects were evident. Dominant gene action was relatively unimportant, suggesting good potential for improvement through pure-line breeding.

No description available.

No description available.

Triploid and tetraploid watermelon seed are visually indistinguishable, increasing costs to growers, who cannot market the low-quality 4N melons. Efforts were made to separate 3N and 4N seeds by thickness and weight. Means in both cases were not separable. Successful seed 'priming' would be beneficial to seedless watermelon growers. Seeds from the open-pollinated 4N x 2N cross were primed in solutions of distilled water, polyethylene glycol '8000' (PEG), and potassium nitrate (KNO₃), or left untreated; treated seeds were subsequently dried for either 1 or 7 days. Seeds were scored for germination or emergence in the lab and for emergence under field conditions. Water was better than KNO₃ or PEG, but not always better than the control. One day in treatment was superior to 3 or 6 days; length of drying time was insignificant. In the field trial, treatments did not differ in emergence.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 I92 / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (MScAgric.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Experi!11entsin KwaZulu-Natal showed that seed treatment with molybdenum (Mo) could double the yield and increase the protein content by 1.9% of soybeans grown on acidic soils. However, it was also found that soybean yield at five of the localities was reduced on average by 8% after Mo seed treatment. It was surmised that the yield reductions observed after Mo seed treatment were connected to the quality of the seed used for planting. The aim of this project was to assess the relationship between seed quality and Mo seed treatment and find a fast, easy quality assessment test that could be used to adapt Mo treatments according to seed quality. The first investigation entailed assessing the quality of the seed obtained, from various seed lots, for planting. A number of different seed quality testing techniques were performed and they included the accelerated ageing test, tetrazolium test, conductivity test, standard germination test and an emergence . test planted at different depths with incubation at different temperatures. All the test results were compared with the accelerated ageing test results, to find the test most closely correlated to the accelerated ageing test, which is regarded as the most accurate indicator of soybean seed vigour. It was found that the emergence test where the seeds where planted at 10 cm presented a close correlation with the accelerated ageing test. An assessment of seed quality revealed that the four different seed lots provided seed of three significantly different levels of quality, which could be used for further investigations. The second investigation was concerned with the reaction of the seed of different quality levels to Mo seed treatment. Firstly, seeds from four different seed lots were treated with five different concentrations of Mo and planted under acidic conditions. The establishment was monitored up until six weeks, at which point the experiment was terminated. In the second planting, seeds from the four different seed lots were treated with six different concentrations of Mo and planted under optimum pH conditions. Emergence was monitored and after thinning out the remaining plants were left to mature and produce seed. The emergence percentage results from both of these two plantings did not reveal the alleged positive effect Mo seed treatment has produced in the field and no definite relationship between seed quality and Mo seed treatment was observed. The third investigation was concerned with the effect that osmoconditioning had on the reaction of seed to Mo seed treatment. Seeds from two seed lots, one of very poor quality and the other of good quality, were pre-treated with four different levels of poly-ethylene glycol (PEG 6000) and then treated with four concentrations of Mo. They were planted under optimum pH conditions and establishment was monitored. After being thinned out the remaining plants were allowed to mature and produce seed. The emergence percentage results revealed that the PEG pre-treatments greatly improved emergence percentages, especially in the poor quality seed. There were some positive effects of Mo seed treatment observed where the lower concentrations of Mo were used, but again, no definite relationship between seed quality and Mo seed treatment was found. PEG pre-treatment appeared to help make the seeds more "resistant" to the harmful effects of Mo. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing in KwaZulu-Natal het aangetoon dat saadbehandeling met molibdeen (Mo) die opbrengs van sojabone op suurgrond kan verdubbel en die proteieninhoud met tot 1.9% kan verhoog. Daar is egter ook gevind dat sojaboonopbrengs op vyf lokaliteite met gemiddeld 8% gedaal het na saadbehandeling met Mo. "nVermoede bestaan dat die opbrengsverlagings wat voorgekom het na saadbehandeling met Mo verband hou met die kwaliteit van saad wat vir die aanplantings gebruik is. Die doel van die projek was om vas te stel wat die verband tussen saadkwaliteit en Mo saadbehandeling is en om "n vinnige en maklike toets te vind om saadkwaliteit te bepaal om sodoende Mo behandelings aan te pas volgens saadkwaliteit. In die eerste eksperiment is die kwaliteit van verskillende saadlotte wat verkry is, getoets. "n Aantal verskillende tegnieke om saadkwaliteit te bepaal is uitgevoer. Die tegnieke was die versnelde verouderingstoets, tetrazoliumtoets, konduktiwiteitstoets, standaard ontkiemingstoets en "n vestigingstoets waar saad op verskillende dieptes geplant en by verskillende temperature geïnkubeer is. Die resultate van die verskillende toetse is gekorreleer met die resultate van die versnelde verouderingstoets, wat beskou word as die toets wat die beste aanduiding gee van saadgroeikragtigheid. Daar is gevind dat sade wat 10 cm diep in sand geplant is, se opkoms die beste korrelasie met die versnelde verouderingstoets toon en dus as "n goeie aanduiding van die kwaliteit van saad beskou kan word. Daar is gevind dat daar drie saadlotte is met duidelike kwaliteitsverskille wat gebruik kon word in verdere eksperimente. Die tweede eksperiment het die reaksie van saad van verskillende kwaliteitsvlakke teenoor molibdeen saadbehandeling ondersoek. Eerstens is saad van vier verskillende saadlotte behandel met vyf verskillende konsentrasies Mo en onder baie suur toestande geplant. Die vestiging is gemonitor vir ses weke waarna die eksperiment gestaak is. Daarna is saad van dieselfde vier saadlotte behandel met ses verskillende Mo konsentrasies en onder optimum pH toestande geplant. Vestiging is gemonitor en na ses weke is die plante uitgedun en twee plante per pot is gelaat om saad te produseer. Die ~ vestigingspersentasie van beide die eerste en tweede plantings het nie die verwagte positiewe effek teenoor Mo saadbehandeling getoon nie en geen betekenisvolle verwantskap tussen saadkwaliteit en Mo saadbehandeling kon waargeneem word nie. Die derde eksperiment het die invloed van osmokondisionering op die reaksie van saad op Mo saadbehandeling ondersoek. Saad van twee saadlotte, een van goeie kwaliteit en een van swak kwaliteit, is voorafbehandel met poli-etileen glikol (PEG 6000) en daarna met vier konsentrasies van Mo behandel. Die sade is onder optimum pH toestande geplant en die vestiging is gemonitor. Nadat dit uitgedun is, is die oorblywende twee plante gelaat om saad te produseer. Die vestigingspersentasies het getoon dat PEG voorafbehandelings vestiging betekenisvol verbeter, veral in die geval van lae kwaliteit saad. Daar was 'n . positiewe effek van Mo saadbehandeling waar relatief lae konsentrasies molibdeen toegedien is, maar daar kon weereens nie 'n duidelike verwantskap tussen saadkwaliteit en Mo saadbehandeling waargeneem word nie. Dit blyk dat PEG voorafbehandeling die sade meer bestand teen die skadelike invloed van Mo gemaak het.

Artificially aged and non-aged seeds of 22 grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) F₁ hybrids and their F₂ and F₃ generations were evaluated for germination salt tolerance. Six of the hybrids, along with their F₂ and F₃ generations, were tested for emergence salt tolerance. Effects of seed production environments on germination salt tolerance were also studied using F₂ generations of 12 sorghum hybrids produced under full-season irrigation, limited irrigation, and double-cropping conditions. Germination tests were conducted in a growth chamber, on trays, while the emergence test was conducted in a greenhouse in flats filled with sand. The experiments were conducted under non-saline and saline conditions in randomized complete block designs. Artificial seed aging resulted in significant reductions in germination percentages under both non-saline and saline environments. The overall mean reduction in germination caused by seed aging was more than twice as much under salinity stress as under the non-stress conditions (48 vs. 17%), indicating differential effects of salinity on different quality seeds. Entries that appeared to be resistant to seed aging also had higher germination percentages under salinity stress. Seed production environment influenced germination performance in both non-saline and saline environments. The overall mean germination percentages of sorghum seeds produced under three different field environments were significantly different from one another. Significant differences were observed in germination and emergence percentages within F₁, F₂, and F₃ generations. Except for the F₁ entries, however, emergence index differences within the F₂ and F₃ generations were not significant. Correlations between germination and emergence percentages in the non-saline and saline treatments were generally nonsignificant. This suggests that germination and emergence responses of sorghum may vary under different salinity levels and different environments.