• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.694-699
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• 2002

The present experiment was carried out to determine the effect of seed-coat softening by various chemicals, washing, chilling, and light treatment alone and in combination during desiccation of seeds on germination of gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Standl.) seeds. Potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, acetone, acetonitrile, and acetamide were used as chemicals for the softening. Washing, prechilling, drying and light treatment of the softened seeds were done for a hour with tap water, for one or three weeks at 3$^{\circ}C$, 12 hr at 35$^{\circ}C$, and 14 hr a day at 3$0^{\circ}C$ with red light illumination or darkness, respectively. FR-yongjadaemok and FR-kunghap were used as test cultivars. Seed-coat softening with 10% acetone and acetonitrile for 1 hour enhanced and accelerated seed germination compared to the other chemicals and water imbibition. KOH treated for the softening was necessary to increase the germination rate of seeds for following chilling, but acetone did not influence their germinability regardless of chilling. Washing the softened seeds in tap water increased the germination rate in comparison with no-washing. During desiccation of the seeds sequentially treated with the softening, washing and chilling, red light treatment showed higher germination rate than dark one, suggesting that red light treatment are necessary during desiccation.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 1998

Solomon's seal (Polygonatum odoratum) was traditionally propagated by its rhizomes but seed propagation has not been practiced due to their dormancy and high price. To improve the seedling production through seed pretreatments, the experiment was conducted to determine the effect of seedcoat softening and seed prechilling on seed germination and bulbil formation of the seal. The prechilling was done for 4 to 16 weeks at $3^{\circ}C$ and the softening was forced with 10% KOH for 40 minutes. Seed germination, bulbil formation and length, no. of root and root length were measured at 6 and 12 weeks after sowing. Seed germination and bulbil formation were greater at 8 to 12 week prechilling than at shorter or longer treatment when only the prechilling was enforced. Prechilling had greater effect compared to seed coat softening. In addition, the softening treatment before prechilling showed higher germination and bulbil formation compared to single treatment of them. The softening treatment prior to prechilling was better than the reverse treatment in number of root except the above two characters. Duration of prechilling treatment was able to be shortened below 8 weeks when the softening treatment was applied before prechilling.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2001

Dormancy of intact zoysiagrass seeds hinders its seed propagation in which presowing seed treatment must be done to overcome it. The study was done to remodel the presowing treatments of zoysiagrass seeds by determining the treatment effects of seedcoat softening, prechilling, drying and combined light treatment with them or during germination stage. Seedcoat softening with different chemicals (NaOH 20%, KOH 20%, $H_2SO_4\;8M, acetone 20%) and periods (10, 30, 60 min.), prechilling with different periods at 3$^{\circ}C$, and drying with 4 hours at 35$^{\circ}C$ was done. Light sources were also applied with 660 nm red LED light, commercial fluorescent and incandescent light and darkness. Germination test was done in alternative day and night temperature of 35 and 2$0^{\circ}C$ to check the daily germination rates. With seeds treated with NaOH 20% for 30 minutes, red and incandescent light showing similar responses inclined their germination rates compared to dark conditions. Drying resulted in its higher rate than non-drying but fluorescent light treatment forced during drying more enhanced the rate than red light. While mean germination rate considering all the seedcoat softening treatment periods was the greatest in $H_2SO_4$ in comparison with NaOH, KOH and acetone, NaOH treatment for 30 minutes showed the best rate among the all the treatment levels. In the conditions of sowing them to no-mulching field, presowing treatment procedure of zoysiagrass seeds was remodeled: the seedcoat softening treatment with NaOH 20% for 30 minutes was done, washed, and chilled at 3$^{\circ}C$ for 2 weeks before dried under 4 hour fluorescent light illumination at 35$^{\circ}C$.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.232-239
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• 2014

Zoysiagrass seeds had low germination or lack of germination uniformity under natural condition. To improve the final germination percentage of zoysiagrass seeds, we investigated the methods of proper pre-treatment to enhance germination rate of zoysiagrass. Seeds were subjected to the testa scarification and four types of seed priming methods, namely, hydro priming (distilled water), osmotic priming (polyethylene glycol -0.5 MPa, -1.0MPa, -2.0 MPa), halo priming (Potassium nitrate 100 mM, 200 mM, 400 mM), and solid matrix priming (seed : microcel-E : distilled water = 4:1:8) with and without 25% KOH treatment in the testa. The scarification improved the germination rate and reduced the germination time. Osmotic priming (PEG -0.5 MPa) with scarification were significantly increased the seed germination rate and decreased MGT, and $T_{50}$. Seed germination rate obtained by osmotic priming (PEG -0.5MPa) with scarification increased above 60% in comparison with natural condition. Conclusively, scarified and primed zoysiagrass seed germinated more rapidly and uniformly in the study. The present results suggested that PEG priming treatment with KOH treatment prior to sowing could improve germination percentage, and this method makes us establish the early zoysiagrasses in the field.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.80-82
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• 2001

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.169-172
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• 2003

Intact seeds of burcucumber (Sicyos angulatus L.) are not nearly germinated so that the farmers remove their arils before sowing. The study was carried out to measure the effort of aging, chilling, washing, chemical treatment, drying, and their sequential treatments on the germination of ones with arils and the seedling emergence. The seeds extruding over 1mm of their radicles and the seedlings with fully expanded cotyledons were counted daily for calculating the germination and the seedling emergence rates. Seedcoat softening using 10% NaOH solution somewhat enhanced their germination rate of the intact seeds harvested in the current year, but aging treatment done on 6 days at $45^{\circ}C$ after NaOH treatment increased the germination rate more than only NaOH treatment. A day washing after the NaOH treatment and a day chilling after the washing increasingly elevated the rates as well. Irrigation of 0.2% $\textrm{KNO}_3$ solution, moreover, showed the greatest germination rate of the priming treatments done during all the 7 day chilling. Drying the seeds after the combined treatment of chilling and priming more inclined the germination rate than nondrying ones, but red light treated during 24 hour desiccation was more effective in the germination rate increment than dark condition. The seeds done the sequential treatments of aging, NaOH, washing, combining chilling and priming and drying under red light illumination were germinated up to 80% but seedlings were emerged to 60%, lower than ones removed their arils.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.320-326
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• 2009

The crops showing hard seed character have high seed viability after seed storage for long period. The low germination rate due to hard seed coat, however, cause a problem of low seedling establishment in field condition. Three legumes used in the experiment, lablab bean (Dolichos lablab L.), asparagus bean (Vigna sesquipedalis L. Fruwirth), and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), showed low germination rate (26, 17, and 5%, respectively) due to thick and hard seed coat. In this study artificial treatment for breaking dormancy was tested in hard seeds. The effect of proper treatment was various depending on species. The germination rate of lablab bean was highly improved up to 94% by soaking into water for 24 hours. In the case of asparagus bean, the rate was increased up to 90% by soaking for eight hours near boiling water until it cools. The germination rate of small hard seed soybean was increase to 96% by soaking into concentrated sulfuric acid for 10 minutes. Ultrastructural change revealed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) reflects that the structure of micropyle was changed and water uptake was facilitated with all treatments tested in the experiment. Especially, sulfuric acid treatment resulted in the degradation of micropylar tissue. These results demonstrate that the artificial treatment including sulfuric acid and (hot) water soaking treatment for promoting water uptake can be applied to improve seed germination in legume seed with thick and hard seed coat.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 1988

In this experiment, interactions between light and other factors such as chilling, alternating temperature, moisture, content, oxygen, and seed coat which affect germination of Oenothera lamarckiana Ser. seed were investigated to study the physiological effects of light on the germination. Light induced the initial stage of seed germination before radical protrusion by affecting embryo rather than seed coat even under anaerobic condition or low water potential (-18 bars). This light effect on germinability of seed was suppressed by blue light irradiation and the effect was increased with increment of blue light intensity and irradiation time. However, the blue light effect was reversible. Chilling, alternating temperature, softening of seed coat and light showed promotive interaction in the induction of seed germination. Irradiation of filtered light (monochrome), however, reduced chilling effect on germination. Hydrogen-ion concentration and gibberellic acid treatment had no effect on light or dark germination.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 1993

Seeds of Acanthopanx plants need about 2 years to germinate after sowing even if full matured fruits were harvested. I leave a room for doubt that this phenomenon could be brought by the immatured embryo in seed. If it is true, stratification method for the seed propagation of Acanthopanax plants would be used more effectively to promote the growth of embryo in relatively short time. Before stratification, seeds were devided into two parts. One of them was treated for 24hrs in the concentration of $GA_3$ 100 ppm. After stratification of non-treated and treated seeds, seeds for microtechnique were taken on interval of one month for three months, and fixed in Farmer's solution. The seed sizes of Acanthopanax plants were in biggest order A. sessiliflorus, A. seoulense, A. chiisanensis, A. koreanum and A. sieboldianum. The dehiscence phenomenon of seed coat didn't show in most of the seeds that stratified, but A. koreanum only dehisced in seeds treated in $GA_3$ 100ppm. The embryos of the stratified seeds that treated in $GA_3$ showed nomal growth, complete cotyledons and procambium in hypocotyl in any species, but the non-treated seeds could not expect the germination after sowing due to poor growing of the embryo in all species. In view of the results so far achieved, it has taken long times from sowing to germinate because the seed of Acanthopanax plants has immatured embryo.