EFFECT OF SEED SIZE, PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS AND SOME CHEMICAL MATERIALS ON GERMINATION CHARACTRISTICS AND SEEDLING VIGOUR OF RICE (Oryza sativa L.) SEEDS

Abstract

In order to evaluate the effect of seed size, plant growth regulators and some
chemical materials on seed vigour and seedling growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.)
an experiment was conducted in 2015 at Laboratories of Agriculture and
Marshes College, University of Thi-Qar. Factorial experiment in CRD was used
with four replications in two factors. The first factor included three seed sizes
(4.6-5.1, 5.2-5.7 and 5.8-6.3 mm). The second factor was seeds soaking
treatments (KNO3 6 g.l-1
, CaCl2 20 g l
-1
, salicylic acid 20 mg l
-1
, cytokinin 40
mg l
-1
, gibberllic acid 400 mg l
-1
, ascorbic acid 40 mg l
-1
and seeds soaked in
distilled water). The results showed that the largest seed size influenced
significantly and gave the higher averages of germination percentage in ageing
acceleration test , germination speed index, germination percentage, radical
length, plumule length and seedling vigour. The seeds rice that were soaked with
gibberellic acid gave the higher averages of germination percentage in ageing
acceleration test, germination speed index, germination percentage, radical
length, plumule length and seedling vigour. The largest seed size which was
soaked with gibberellic acid gave the higher averages of germination percentage
in ageing acceleration test, germination speed index, germination percentage,
radical length, plumule length and seedling vigour.