Tutorials

Insight to Seed Germination

Building Bushels with any crop starts with prompt seed germination, establishment of vigorous roots systems and uniform crop emergence. If one or all of the above are hindered by any sort of crop stress (drought, frost or pest), the crop would be off to a poor start and thus unable to maximize its yield potential.

There are a number of plant growth hormones (PGH) that are active at different crop growth stages. These include but are not limited to the following: Auxins, Cytokinins, Giberellic acid, Ethylene and Abscisic acid. These hormones help the plant initiate various growth activities such as root developments (ratio dependent), shoot development (ratio dependent), cell sizing, fruit development/ripening and maturity respectively.

As a crop develops, there should be a balance of the right plant growth hormone (PGH) and Macro/Micro nutrients at strategic crop growth stages. These Macro/Micro nutrients serve as ‘helpers’ (co-factors) that enables the plant hormones carry out their specific function(s). Some of these co-factors have also been linked to providing energy to the crop at different crop growth stages. When the crop goes into maturity the level of abscisic acid (ABS) increases. This means that levels of ABS will also be high in the harvested seed.

Since harvested seed have high levels of ABS, at seeding, the seeds are in the state of dormancy due to high ABS levels from harvesting. For germination to occur, the ABS levels in the seed has to be reduced. Although seeds have a natural pathway to achieve this, a lot of external factors such as soil nutrient composition, soil pH & moisture and soil temperature can interfere with the seeds natural pathway which can lead to poor germination. It is important to input Intelligence to the seed externally via seed priming or In-furrow application of the right combination of PGH’s and Co-factors. This will help reduce the seeds ABS levels and thus, give the seed the extra push it needs during its germination stage to become a vigorous & healthy crop. This, in simple terms, describes the bio-chemical process of seed germination.

As Crop growers & their agronomist plan for a seed treatment product(s), the following questions should be asked:

• Is it cost effective?
• Does the product help reduce the ABS levels while taking into consideration prevailing environmental stress factors during seeding?
• Is it easy to handle (Compatible with other crop inputs & Non- precipitating)?
• Is the product Customized to your crop growing needs?
• Does it input intelligence to your seed?

Crop differently by visiting our Url: www.greenchemcanada.com, following us on twitter or Facebook or contacting our Certified Crop Science Consultant toll free @ 1-(855)-205-8592 for more research based information and updates on crop health inputs.