The use of water and some inorganic salt solutions to advance sugar beet seed. I: Laboratory studies

SUMMARY The emergence of sugar beet seedlings is often slow or irregular and insufficient plants may be established for the crop to yield fully. Treating the seed prior to sowing, such that the subsequent germination percentage is not reduced but germination is more rapid and better synchronised should be beneficial. A series of laboratory experiments was made to investigate seed treatment procedures involving water and various inorganic salt solutions. Many treatment combinations were identified which gave faster germination without decreasing germination percentage and left the seed dry and intact and suitable for sowing with conventional precision drills. No treatment was found which ‘primed’ the sugar beet seed and the term seed ‘advancement’ describes, more accurately, the effects observed. There was little difference in the performance of seeds optimally treated with water or some salt solutions generating an osmotic potential of between about –10 and –20 bars. However, the use of salt solutions, although more complicated, was preferred to water as inadvertent germination during treatment was less likely. The optimum treatment for the one bulk of sugar beet seed studied was, firstly, to wash the seeds for 3.5 h with water, then after air-drying, to moisten them on filter paper dampened with –15 bar (0–34 M) sodium chloride solution for 6 days at 15oC followed by a final wash and air-drying.