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Evaluation of dormancy breaking and germination improvement methods in Althaea officinalis
Hamideh Khalaj,
Volume 10, Issue 1 (9-2023)
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction: Althaea officinalis L. is one of the most important plants of the Malvaceae family which is used in traditional medicine and as a drug to treat the disorders of digestive and respiratory systems. The fresh seeds of Althaea do not have a good growth potential. This experiment was performed to evaluate the different methods of seed dormancy breaking on the improvement of A. officinalis L. seed germination.
Materials and Methods: An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications at the agricultural laboratory of Payame Noor University Tehran, Shahriar Center in 2017. The experimental treatments included 10 treatments (control, seed coat removal, seed coat removal + gibberellic acid (500 and 1000 ppm), seed coat removal + potassium nitrate (0.1 and 0.2%), seed coat removal + sulfuric acid (30 and 60 minutes), sulfuric acid (30 and 60 minutes).
Results: The results showed that the highest germination index with averages of 433.3 was observed in seed coat removal + 30- minutes of sulfuric acid treatment. The highest germination rate (44.7 seed/day) was observed in seed coat removal + 60-minute sulfuric acid treatment. The highest germination percentage (86.6%) was observed in seed coat removal+ 0.2% potassium nitrate treatment. Also, the highest mean germination time (20.2 day) was observed in both control and seeds coat removal treatments. The highest plumule and seedling length and fresh and dry weight were observed in seed coat removal + 30 and 60- minute sulfuric acid, and seed coat removal +0.2% potassium nitrate treatment, without significant difference. The highest radicle length was obtained in seed coat removal +30- minutes sulfuric acid treatment and seed coat removal + 0.2% potassium nitrate treatments.
Conclusion: Since all three sulfuric acid, potassium nitrate and gibberellic acid treatment along with seed coat removal treatment significantly affect the measured traits compared with control. It may be suggested that A. officinalis L. seed has a type of physical and physiological dormancy and seed dormancy breaking treatments (especially 30- minutes sulfuric acid) can be used to increase germination the fresh seeds of this plant.

Highlights:
  1. In A. officinalis plant, removal of seed coat using chemical treatments is very effective in applying seed dormancy treatments.
 Development of A. officinalis seed cultivation and propagation is possible by applying seed dormancy breaking methods.

Study of germination traits of two bean species (Pachyrhizus erosus) and (Phaseolus vulgaris) to fertilizer treatments under drought stress
Marzieh Hasani, Dr Mahmoud Reza Tadayon, Dr Majid Olia,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (3-2025)
Abstract
Extended abstract
Introduction: Germination and seedling emergence are among the most critical developmental stages in crop plants, significantly influencing subsequent growth stages in the field. These traits are directly linked to seed vigor and potential. The application of organic and biofertilizers can enhance seed and seedling vigor, enabling them to withstand environmental stresses such as drought and aridity. To investigate this, the effects of drought stress and fertilizer treatments on germination indices of two plant species—red bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urban)—were examined.
Materials and methods: The seeds of jicama and red bean (Goli variety) were subjected to four levels of drought stress (0, -6, -9, and -12 bar) and four fertilizer treatments: control (no fertilizer), optimal biological fertilizer (EM), optimal organic vinasse fertilizer, and a combination of biological and organic fertilizers (at optimal levels). The experiment was conducted as a factorial design in a completely randomized arrangement with three replications at the University of Shahrekord during the 2022-2023 growing season.
Results: The results revealed that the triple interaction of plant species, fertilizer treatments, and drought stress had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on germination percentage, germination rate, seed vigor index, shoot and radicle length, as well as fresh and dry weights of shoots and radicles. Under non-stressed conditions, the jicama species treated with combined fertilizers exhibited the highest mean values for germination percentage (100%), germination rate (42.48 seeds/day), seed vigor index (8.55), shoot length (5.66 cm), shoot fresh weight (0.694 g), shoot dry weight (0.125 g), radicle fresh weight (0.772 g), and radicle dry weight (0.109 g). Under moderate drought stress (−9 bar), the mean radicle length of jicama treated with combined fertilizers was 6.333 cm.
Conclusion: In this study, the application of fertilizer treatments enhanced greater tolerance to water stress conditions and reduced water potential, while drought stress treatments led to a decline in the examined traits in both bean species. However, the jicama species demonstrated superior drought stress tolerance compared to the red bean, making it a more suitable option for cultivation under drought stress conditions

Highlights:
  1. The novelty of jicama in Iran and the lack of information on the germination and growth characteristics of this plant.
  2. Due to the presence of rotenone in jicama seeds, there was no information on how this compound interacts with fertilizer treatments to affect seed germination traits—an aspect investigated in this study.
  3. Since jicama is a multipurpose plant with both seed and tuber uses, there was no available data on how its germination traits compare to those of a similar plant, such as beans.

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