Hort 312 Lesson 3 Seed Preparation

TOPICS
VEGETABLE CROP PRODUCTION III. Crop Management

AND POST-HARVEST HANDLING A.Preparing seed for sowing
HORT 312 • Soaking or pre-germination
• Seed treatment
• Scarification
• Vernalization
• Seed hardening
• Seed conditioning
• Methods of planting
vegetable crops
Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe
Learning Outcomes;
1.identify the practices
involved in preparing
seeds for sowing
2. state the importance of
seed treatment
3. discuss the advantages
of vernalized seeds
4. perform soaking or pre-
germination of vegetable
seeds

Seed Germination
-is the process a
seed goes through
when it “wakes up”
from its dormant state
and starts to grow.
Seeds are self-
contained systems that
contain most of what
they need to get
themselves started.
Stages of seed
germination
1.Imbibition of water
2.Enzymatic and
respiratory activities
3.Food digestion and
translocation
4.Assimilation
5.Growth
Stage 1. Imbibition of
water:
❖ Water absorption by
the seed is known as
imbibition, which is the
initial stage of seed
germination. The seed
swells as a result, and the
enzymes required for
germination are activated.

2. Enzymatic and
respiratory activities:
Enzymes in the seed
are triggered by the water,
allowing for the
breakdown of food that
has been stored there and
respiratory activity.
Respiration is the process
that utilizes the food that
has been stored to create
the energy the plant
needs to thrive.
3. Food digestion and
translocation:
Food is delivered to
the growing sections of the
plant where it is used as a
source of nutrition and
energy after being broken
down by enzymes in
storage. Translocation and
digesting are two names
for this process.

4. Assimilation:
The plant uses the
nutrients to create new
cells that become the
stem, leaves, and roots.
The term “assimilation”
refers to this process.

5. Growth:
The seed will begin to
grow after it has accumulated
enough energy. The shoot, or
embryonic stem, starts to
develop upward towards the
surface, while the radicle, or
embryonic root, starts to grow
downward into the soil. The
seed will keep growing in this
manner until it becomes a fully-
fledged plant.

External factors;
1. Water
2. Oxygen
Factors affecting 3. Light
seed germination 4. Temperature
Internal Factors;
1. Presence of auxin.
2. Reserved food
3. Completion of
dormancy
4. Viability of seeds
External factors
1. Water
The supply of water is
one of the essential
requirements in the
germination of seeds.
Water is necessary for the
physical and chemical
processes that take place in
the germinating seeds. With
the imbibition of water, the
seed coat becomes soft
and permeable to water.
External factors
2. Oxygen
Oxygen is an essential
requirement in respiration
which supplies energy to
remain life by oxidation of
foods. During germination,
the oxidation rate
increases.
Oxygen is responsible
in some way regarding the
initial reaction of
germination.
Reduced aeration
decrease the germination
rate seeds of water plant
and rice seed can usually
germinate underwater. The
ability of rice seed to
germinate at low oxygen
presence due to the
presence of an anaerobic
condition energy liberating
system within the seeds.

External factors
3. Light
Plants vary greatly in
response to light with
respect to seed
germination. The seeds
which respond to light for
their germination are
named as photoblastic.

Three categories of
photoblastic seeds are
recognized:
1. Positive photoblastic
seeds (lettuce, tobacco,
mistletoe, etc.) do not
germinate in darkness but
require exposure to sunlight
(may be for a brief period)
for germination.

Three categories of
photoblastic seeds are
recognized:
Negative photoblastic seeds
1. Negative photoblastic
seeds (onion, lily,
Amaranthus, Nigella, etc.)
do not germinate if exposed
to sunlight.
2. Non-photoblastic seeds
germinate irrespective of
the presence (exposure) or
absence (non-exposure) of
Non-photoblastic seeds
light. Cucumber is an
The Red region (600-700
nm) of the visible spectrum is
most effective for
germination.
The far-red region
(700-750 nm) (the region
immediately after the visible
red region) reverses the
effect of red light and makes
the seed dormant.
The red and far-red
sensitivity of the seeds is due
to the presence of a blue-
coloured photoreceptor
pigment, the phytochrome.
4. Suitable temperature
Temperature affects
the absorption of water. The
largest number of seeds
and particular species
germinate at 26.5 – 36°C
may be said as optimum
temperature.

Internal Factors
1. Presence of
auxin: During germination,
a chemical called auxin
develops in the seeds,
which stimulates
germination. In addition, to
increase, another
substance known as
heteroauxin develops in
some seeds. Both auxin
and heteroauxin are called
growth regulators.
Internal Factors
2. Presence of reserved
food: Foods are stored in
the endosperm (monocot
seed) or cotyledons (dicot
seed). The embryo is
dependent on the reserved
food. Germination is
possible if the seed can
provide with necessary food
to the embryo.

Internal Factors
3. Completion of
dormancy: during the
dormant period of seed,
complete breaking of
dormancy must be
essential.

Internal Factors
4. Seed viability: Viability
refers to the seeds whether
a seed is alive, dormant, or
dead. If the seed is not
viable, it will not germinate.

SEED DORMANCY
-physiological or
physical condition of a
viable seed that prevents
germination even in the
presence of otherwise
favorable germination
conditions.

SEED QUIESCENCE
-condition in which
seed cannot germinate
because of unfavorable
conditions

Soaking or Pre-germination
This is a common practice
for large-seeded crops with hard
seed coats, such as bitter gourd.
Before they are sown, the seeds
are soaked in water and wrapped
Seed Preparation in damp cloth until they start to
for Sowing germinate. The advantage is that
it takes less time for the seedling
to emerge after sowing. This
minimizes the need for constant
watering during the dry season,
and the use of labor and irrigation
water.
The practice can also be
done with small-seeded crops
that are direct-seeded. However,
this involves a more
sophisticated sowing procedure.
Small germinated seeds are
much more difficult to handle
because they are prone to
mechanical damage. To
minimize damage and to
facilitate handling, seeds are
suspended in a fluid medium
and the mixture is sown. The
process is called fluid-drilling.
In advanced countries,
special machines
mounted on tractors are
used to perform fluid-
drilling efficiently. The fluid
medium can be mixed
with pesticides, growth
hormones, and fertilizers
to stimulate early growth
of the seedlings. Fluid-
drilling is not yet popular
in developing countries.
Seed Treatment
Seed treatment refers
to procedures that aim to
disinfect the seeds or
protect them against pests
that may pose hazards
during germination and
subsequent stages of plant
growth. The treatment may
be physical or chemical.

Physical treatment
may consist of soaking in
warm water or applying dry
heat. For example, cabbage
seeds are soaked in water at
45°C for 20 minutes to control
black rot. In pepper, heating
seed in an oven at 76°Cfor
three days following awaiting
period of three months after
harvest always eliminated all
seed-borne viruses. In a few
cases, those treatments are
done by the seed producer
before delivery of seeds.
Heat treatment
is not normally a good
practice because it tends
to reduce germination. The
viability of heat treated
seeds also decreases with
continued storage after
treatment. Therefore,
alternative methods must
be explored before using
heat treatment. If this is to
be used at all, it should be
applied just before sowing.
Chemical treatment
usually consists of a
fungicide, insecticide, or
a mixture of both.
The chemical can be
applied as powder, spray
solution, or slurry (thick
paste of powdered
pesticide and water) at
very low rates of
approximately 1-5 g
a.i./kg of seed.
Some systemic
fungicides, such as Ridomil
(metalaxyl), provide
protection against fungal
diseases up to maturity of
the plant.
Detergents, such as
the sodium or calcium form
of hypochlorite and
trisodium phosphate, are
effective in eliminating
seed-borne viruses,
particularly those that are
carried in the seed coat.
Diluted concentrations
of acids, such as sulfuric
acid, are also used for
treating seeds against
bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Among the insecticides, the
common materials are
Gardona and Malathion,
which are very effective
against weevil. Chemical
treatment, like heat
treatment, may reduce
germination. The risk,
however, is much less than
in heat treatment.
Scarification
This procedure is done on
hard-seeded crops, such as
okra and some legumes.
The principle is to softer, it
make a wound on the seed
coat so that water can be
easily absorbed by the
seeds, thus hastening
germination.

Scarification can be
done by chemical means,
such as treating winged bean
seed with concentrated
sulfuric acid; or by physical
means, such as passing okra
seed through a metal brush in
a rotating metal drum. In the
former, thorough rinsing after
treatment needs careful
timing to prevent damage to
the inner structures of the
seed.
With large seeds that
are flat in shape, such as
Luffa and watermelon, the
seed coat is clipped at the
side with a nail cutter,
taking care that the
cotyledon and embryo are
not damaged. This
procedure facilitates the
absorption of water. The
seed should also be sown
immediately.
Vernalization
-it can be done at the
germinating seed or plant
stages. Vernalization is the
process of exposing the
germinating seed or plant
to low temperature (0-5°C)
for a certain period of time
to induce early flowering
and higher seed yield.
Seed vernalization is used
for seed production of
Brassicas that are known to
respond to this treatment.
Radish seeds, for example,
are vernalized at 5°C for
eight days. Seeds should
be immediately sown after
vernalization. Vernalized
seeds cannot be dried and
stored as these will lose
viability. When the objective
is to produce fresh
vegetables, seed
vernalization should not be
done.
When vernalized
plants are grown under
favorable conditions, these
tend to flower earlier than
un-vernalized plants.
Flowering is more uniform
among plants and seed
yields are higher.

Seed Hardening
Like vernalization,
seed hardening is a
treatment that is applied to
the germinating seed, and
its effect is seen on the
developing plant. The
process consists of air-
drying seeds that have
started to germinate but
have not produced any
radicle. The hardened
seeds are then sown
Hardening makes seed
emergence faster and
more uniform. It also
promotes faster seedling
growth, better root-shoot
ratio, and better transplant
survival. The treatment is
best done on slow-
germinating seeds, such
as tomato, eggplant, and
pepper.
Hardening can also be
done at the seedling stage for
all transplanted crops. In this
case, the seedlings are
allowed to wilt in the seedbed
by reducing the frequency of
watering and exposing the
seedlings to full sun if these
were previously grown under
partial shade. The hardening
process is started ten days
before transplanting. The
results are better root-shoot
ratio and better transplant
survival.
Seed Conditioning
In rare cases, seeds
may have been over dried
and stored at low moisture
content (such as canned
seed stored at low
temperature); so that, they
do not easily absorb water
and they exhibit poor
germination. This can be
corrected by exposing the
seed to high humidity for one
to two days before sowing.
A practical way is to put the
seeds on a wire screen tray
suspended in a sealed jar
with water, without wetting
the seeds. The procedure
improves the germination
of seeds such as pepper.

Crops Vegetables can
be classified into three
categories, depending on
the planting practice:
Methods of Planting a)crops that are usually

Vegetable transplanted,
b)crops that are usually
direct-seeded, and
c)crops that should be
direct-seeded. Examples
for each category are
listed below:
Crops Usually Transplanted
Cabbage, Chinese
cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower,
Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper,
Hybrid bitter gourd, Open-
pollinated onion, Celery,
Lettuce

Crops Usually Direct-Seeded
Watermelon,
Cantaloupe, Squash,
Cucumber, Snap bean,
Cowpea, Soybean, Garden
pea, Open-pollinated Bitter
gourd, Pak-choi, Water
convolvulus, Hybrid onion
/Yard-long bean

Crops That Should Be Direct-
Seeded
Radish, Turnips, Carrot,
Beets
Radish and other crops in the
above list are never
transplanted because the tip of
their tap roots may be
damaged in the process,
resulting in forked roots. All
other crops may be direct-
seeded or transplanted,
depending on the following
factors:
Cost and availability of seed
Direct-seeding always
requires three to four times
more seed than transplanting.
When the cost of seed is high,
as in hybrid seed, transplanting
may be recommended instead
of direct-seeding. For example,
hybrid bitter gourds
recommended for
transplanting; but open-
pollinated (OP) varieties of the
same crop is always direct-
seeded.
A clear exception to this rule is
the case of hybrid Granex of
onion which is direct-seeded
because it is able to produce
bulbs of good size even in a
relatively dense plant
population. On the contrary,
open-pollinated Red Creole is
transplanted because this
variety tends to produce small
bulbs when grown at high
densities. Transplanting of
onion gives better control of
plant population and avoids
densely populated spots.
Quality of land preparation
Direct-seeding of small-
seeded crops is impractical
when the field is not
thoroughly pulverized during
land preparation. Large soil
clumps make it difficult to
control depth of seeding,
resulting in poor emergence.
As a rule, small-seeded
crops, such as lettuce and
celery, should not be direct
seeded.
Root-regenerating ability of
the crop
Some crops, such as
legumes, do not easily
regenerate roots, hence, do not
easily recover from
transplanting shock. The
opposite can be said of
solanaceous crops and
crucifers. Cucurbits are
intermediate in rooting
behavior and can be
successfully transplanted if the
procedure is done early
enough at the cotyledonary leaf
stage
Multiple cropping
When vegetables are
grown after another crop, it is
often advisable to start the
seedlings even before the
previous crop is harvested.
This allows planting of the
seedlings immediately after
harvesting the previous crop,
reducing the period when the
field is unproductive.

AVRDC.1990. Vegetable Rahman, M. No Date. Factors
production training manual. affecting seed germination.
Asian Vegetable Research and Basic Agricultural Study.
Development Center. Shanha, Retrived from
Tainan.447p. https://agriculturistmusa.com/fa
Villareal, RL. A primer on ctors-affecting-seed-
vegetable gardening. Los germination/#google_vignette.
Baños, Laguna: DOST-
PCAARRD, 2020. 189p.-
(PCAARRD Information
Bulletin No. 105/2020)

Hort 312 Lesson 3 Seed Preparation

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TOPICS

VEGETABLE CROP PRODUCTION III. Crop Management

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Methods of Planting a)crops that are usually

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

Makilala Institute of Science and Technology- Jayhan N. Canabe

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