Abstract
Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of priming and preimbibition on gerraination of unscarified and KOH-scarified zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) seeds, respectively. Germi-nation percentages at 35˚C of seeds primed in $KNO_3$ and Ca($NO_3$)$_2$ were significantly higher than that of untreated seeds. The optimum conditions for priming unscarified seeds were in aerated $KNO_3$ solution at O4 M for 4 days at 20˚C. No additional benefit of $GA_3$ on increasing germination was not found in seed priming with solution of $KNO_3$ + $GA_3$ or in seeds preimbibed with $GA_3$ after priming. Scarified seeds preimbibed with distilled water(DW) for 4 days at 20˚C germinated higher and with fewer days to 50% of total germination(T 50) than untreated seeds. Preimbibition with $GA_3$ solution at 50 ppm for 4 days at 5, 10, 15 and 20˚C enabled up to 97% of seeds to germinate and reduced days to T 50 about 1.1 to 1.2 days at 35˚C Especially, seeds preimbibed with $GA^2$˚$_3_2_1$$\times$ had greatly higher germination and lower T 50 than untreated or DW-preimbibibed seeds at 30˚C, which is inadequate to germination in general. Preimbibed seed performance was unchanged after storage at room temperature for 50 days. Seeds preimbibed with GA $_3$ had higher rate of seedling emergence and faster growth of shoot than untreated seeds after sowing at 30˚C in growing medium in growth chamber.
