Seed Germination Test: Must do testing before sowing to increase income
It is also very important to use quality seeds for high yield and production of improved seeds.
Seed Germination Test | The quality of the seed used is also very important for the production of good yield and improved seeds. To find out whether the seed used is really good or not, its germination test is done.
Several criteria have been set by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for seed germination tests. According to which the selected seeds are tested in the laboratory or in the field.
Importance of germination capacity of seeds
According to the experts of Jabalpur-based Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, farmers must understand the nuances of seed germination tests. It is important because if the farmers do not get the assurance of the quality of the seeds at the right time, then all the money and labor spent in farming will eventually go to waste. It becomes a loss-making deal. In fact, having the right information about the germination capacity of the seeds, it is easy to decide the right rate of seeds at the time of sowing.
Not only this, even after harvesting the previous crop, if some part of it is going to be saved for the seed of the next crop, the importance of the seed germination test increases even more. After purchasing good quality seeds from the market, farmers should test their germination. It will also help them to increase their farm income.
Precautions before germination test
First of all, after harvesting the crop, if it is to be saved in the form of seeds, then it should be stored only after cleaning it very well. During cleaning, the seeds of damaged, diseased and other crops must be sorted out. The moisture content of the seeds to be stored should never exceed the safe limit of 10-12 percent. This has a very adverse effect on the viability of the seeds.
The possibility of the growth of germs in seeds with excessive moisture increases a lot. The entire seed stock must be thoroughly mixed before the small number of seeds selected for germination testing are removed from the total quantity of seeds stored or purchased. By doing this, the sample of germination test seeds will prove to be absolutely accurate.
Methods of Checking Seed Germination
- Table paper method: In this method, a special type of paper is used for germination tests in the laboratory. It has a high water absorption capacity. Due to this, moisture is preserved in the seeds for many days and there is no toxic effect on them. In this method, 50 or 100 seeds (according to the size) are deposited on one surface of the paper after wetting the table paper in clean water and spreading it on the table. After this, it is covered with other parts and folded from the bottom, and then wrapped. So that the seeds do not fall down. After this, it is placed in a germination meter at 20-25°C temperature. These seeds kept for germination are carefully removed after 10-12 days.
- Petri plate method: In this method, small seeds are kept on wet absorbent paper in a Petri plate or a closed box. Wet it at an interval of 2-4 days. Then put the Petri plate in the seed germination machine and calculate the percentage of germinated seeds after 8-10 days.
- Hessian method: In this method, after wetting a piece of gunny bag and spreading it on a flat surface, like the paper table method, the seeds are deposited, folded, wrapped, and made to stand against a wall. A moist and shady place is chosen for this. After doing this, after 8-10 days, open the bag and estimate the germinated seeds like table paper method.
- Sand method: In this method, a tray is filled with clean washed, and fine sand. The sample seeds are placed in it for germination. Then, the sand is wetted with water from time to time. After this, find out the proportion of the seeds that have germinated.
Categories of Sprouts Reviews
To review the proportion of germinated seeds, they are divided into five categories:
- Seedling plant: The plant in which the stem and root parts are completely healthy and developed. The higher the germination ratio of such seeds, the more will be the benefit to the farmer in actual sowing. On the basis of this, it will be correct to decide the rate of seeds. If the proportion of seeds with healthy germination is high, fewer seeds will be needed for sowing. But if this estimate is low, farmers must use more seeds to compensate.
- Abnormal Plant: A plant in which the stem or root or any one part is not fully developed or is semi-developed. Such plants die after a few days of growing.
- Dead or Rotten Seeds: The seeds which are moldy or rotting and dirty water oozes out when pressed.
- Healthy and Germinated Seeds: Seeds that do not germinate due to any reason during the germination test but which have the potential to germinate in the soil and a favorable environment.
- Hard Seeds: Such seeds remain in their hard shell even during germination tests and do not absorb water.
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