The Beneficial Effect of Trichoderma spp. in Seed Treatment of Four Maize (Zea mays L.) Genotypes

Maize is the main crop for Mexicans;however, it is affected by species of fungi causing ear rot. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of T. asperellum T11, T. harzianum T1 4 y T. longibrachiatum T1 40 on some agronomic variables of four maize genotypes. The seeds of the genotypes H-515, Zapata 7, and H-507 were treated with a suspension of Trichoderma spp. to 1 × 108 spores mL-1, using a control (untreated seed), and Benomyl as chemical control. The planting was in Morelos, in a completely random block design with a factorial arrangement. The ear rot was natural. Data were obtained at the end of the crop cycle and processed in SAS 9.4®. H-515 genotype had the greatest effect on the treatment of maize seeds with Trichoderma spp. (5.562 kg);T. asperellum T11 was the strain that stood out with a mean yield of 50 ears in an area of 16 m2 of 4.904 kg, and control of 4.448 kg. Our results are an economic option for farmers to contemplate the use of Trichoderma and obtain its benefits.

Biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani K1 by Iturin A Producer Bacillus subtilis RB14 Seed Treatment in Tomato Plants

Bacillus subtilis RB14 was used as an antagonist against fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani K1 to control damping-off diseases in tomato plants. Tomato seeds were treated with B. subtilis RB14 culture. The concentration of bacterial cells for the treatment was about 108 cfu/ml. Treated tomato seeds showed 99% germination index similar to the untreated seeds. Scanning Electron Microscopic observations showed a clear evidence of the presence of B. subtilis RB14 on tomato seed surface. Clear inhibition zone was observed using treated seed in dual plate assay against R. solani K1. B. subtilis RB14 treated seed showed 80% reduction in disease incidence during in vivo plant experiments. B. subtilis RB14 produces lipopeptide antifungal antibiotic iturin A which could suppress R. solani K1. The phenomenon was supported by our observation where we found significant amount of iturin A from the root zone soil of the seed treated plants.

Effect of seed treatment for laboratory germination of Albizia chinensis

Seeds of Albizia chinensis（Osb.） Merr. in addition to water were also treated with different treatments by incubating in ethyl alcohol, acetone, and petroleum ether at room temperature for different durations. Seed heat treatment was done at temperatures of 30, 40 and 60℃ for different durations up to 24 h. To overcome dormancy caused by the impermeable seed coat, seeds were nicked and also treated with concen- trated sulphuric acid for different durations. Seeds responded to treat- ments with sulphuric acid and nicking only. Treatment with sulphuric acid for 20 and 30 min showed maximum germination at all incubation temperatures as compared to untreated controls and seeds treated with sulphuric acid for 10 min and nicking. Seedling length was greatest from seeds treated with sulphuric acid for 20 and 30 min and incubated at 30 ℃. Seedling dry weight was highest from nicked seeds incubated at 20℃ The most favourable incubation temperature was 30 ℃ as evidenced from GR （germination rate index） and Gv （germination value）. After ascertaining the seed response and performance we recommend that seeds ofAlbizia chinensis be treated with sulphuric acid for 20 or 30 min and incubation temperature of 25 to 30℃.

Seed treatment and inhibition of plantpathology by chitosan

0. 1% solution of chitosan was studied as seed soaking agent for cotton and maize.Chitosan will help stimulate the seeds of cotton and maize for sprouting. It can also restrain thefosanum oxysporin and verticillium. then inhibit the cotton wilt and maize smut. The annual out-put of cotton and maize increased by 11.80% and ,0.4%, respectively.

Transcriptome analysis shows nicotinamide seed treatment alters expression of genes involved in defense and epigenetic processes in roots of seedlings of Picea abies

Nicotinamide treatment of plants and plant cell cultures has been shown to promote defense and decrease levels of DNA methylation.In the present study,we used RNA-seq technology to study overall changes in gene expression induced in roots of 3-month-old spruce(Picea abies)seedlings grown from nicotinamide-treated seeds to examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the defense promotion.Approximately 350 genes were identified as differentially expressed in roots after the seed treatment.Stress response genes,including transcription factors MYB77 and LHY and two chitinase enzymes,were generally upregulated,whereas genes thought to be involved in epigenetic regulation such as DDM1,known to promote DNA methylation,were present at high frequency among the downregulated genes.Across all samples,the expression of downregulated epigenetic-related genes was highly correlated with the nicotinamide treatment,indicating a common regulation.Our results support an earlier hypothesis regarding a potential role of nicotinamide as a defense-signal mediator.

Effect of Chemical Seed Treatment and BAU-Biofungicide on <i>Alternaria</i>Blight <i>(Alternaria brassicae)</i>of Mustard

The efficacy of three seed treating chemicals viz. Provax 200 WP, Brine solution, Rovral 50 WP and one Biofungicide viz. BAU-Biofungicide were evaluated against Alternaria blight of mustard caused by Alternaria brassicae and Alternaria brassicicola. Three varieties viz. var. BARI-6, Tori-7 and SAU-Shorisha-1 were used in this study. The field experiment was conducted in the farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka and laboratory experiment was conducted in the seed health Laboratory, Department of Plant Pathology, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 during the period from November 2008 to July 2009. Among the seed treating chemicals, Rovral 50WP showed the best performance in reducing disease incidence and severity as well as increasing seed yield. Application of Rovral 50 WP gave the best result in increasing the number of pod per plant, pod length (cm), number of branch per plant, 100 siliqua weight (g) and 1000 seed weight (g). BAU-Biofungicide also showed promising performance in controlling Alternaria blight of mustard and reduced 36% and 53% disease incidence and disease severity respectively over untreated control. BAU-Biofungicide may be recommended as an alternative means of chemical fungicide such as Rovral 50 WP for controlling Alternaria blight of mustard.

Effect of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Mamalis (Pittosporum pentandrum Blanco Merr.) Seeds Germination under Nursery Condition

Seeds were subjected to three different pre-sowing seed treatments: immersion in lukewarm water for 2 hours, immersion in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 5 minutes, hilar removal, and a control in which the seeds were sown without being treated. The experiment was laid out in the Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replicates and 60 seeds per treatment. Seeds were sown in an improvised Seedbox in October 2019. Germination was monitored daily for one month. The results showed that Mamalis seeds treated with lukewarm water have the earliest germination of twelve days, with a germination percentage of 66.67%. The germination rate of another treatment ranges from 0 - 44 percent, compared to 45 percent for the control treatment. It seems prudent to conclude that to enhance the vegetative propagation methods is to soaking in warm water at 37.5˚C for 2 hours could provide the best growth.

Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on Seed Germination and Growth of Wheat

This study investigated the effect of cold helium plasma treatment on seed germina- tion, growth and yield of wheat. The effects of different power of cold plasma on the germination of treated wheat seeds were studied. We found that the treatment of 80 W could significantly improve seed germination potential （6.0%） and germination rate （6.7%） compared to the control group. Field experiments were carried out for wheat seeds treated with 80 W cold plasma. Com- pared with the control, plant height （20.3%）, root length （9.0%） and fresh weight （21.8%） were improved significantly at seedling stage. At booting stage, plant height, root length, fresh weight, stem diameter, leaf area and leaf thickness of the treated plant were respectively increased by 21.8%, 11.0%, 7.0%, 9.0%, 13.0% and 25.5%. At the same time, the chlorophyll content （9.8%）, nitrogen （10.0%） and moisture content （10.0%） were higher than those of the control, indicating that cold plasma treatment could promote the growth of wheat. The yield of treated wheat was 7.55 t-ha-1, 5.89% more than that of the control. Therefore, our results show that cold plasma has important application prospects for increasing wheat yield.

Integrating flood depth and plant resistance with chlorantraniliprole seed treatments for management of rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus （Coleoptera： Curculionidae）

Chlorantraniliprole seed treatments in rice provide effective suppression of rice water weevil populations in the United States; however, heavy reliance on prophylac- tic insecticide treatments as a sole strategy could destabilize management programs for this insect. The present research evaluated the compatibility of seed treatments with two other potential management tactics--plant resistance and shallow flooding-by conducting two split-plot experiments in 2009 and 2011. In both experiments, no substantial antago- nism was found among the 3 different tactics. Statistical interactions in these experiments arose from the strong and persistent effects of chlorantraniliprole on larval densities rather than incompatibility of tactics. In 2009, weevil densities differed among varieties and were significantly lower on the cultivar ＂Jefferson.＂ In 2011, weevil densities were reduced sig- nificantly in shallow-flooded plots compared to deep-flooded plots. Significant reductions in weevil numbers by chlorantraniliprole seed treatments, even at application rates 5 fold lower than commercially recommended rates, demonstrated the potential to reduce appli- cation rates of this highly potent larvicide. These latter results suggest that future studies on the relationship between chlorantraniliprole seed treatment rate and weevil fitness are warranted.

Seed Priming with MgCl_(2),CaCl_(2),and ZnCl_(2) as a Biofortification Based-Approach Induces Changes in Anise Seedlings Emergence

Aromatic and medicinal plant species having small seeds havefield emergence problems due to low nutrient supply.Therefore,Pimpinella anisum seeds were hydro and osmoprimed with 100 mM MgCl_(2),CaCl_(2),and ZnCl_(2),for 2,4,and 8 h each to compare their growth attributes during germination and seedling establishment stages.Nontreated seeds were used as control.Both hydro and osmo primed seeds were dried for 48 h before,they were sown in plastic trays in growth room conditions to see the impact of treatments on seedling emergence and growth.The maximum root length(12.90 cm),fresh weight(256.30 mg plant^(-1)),and mean emergence time(MET)were recorded from 8 h MgCl_(2) primed seeds.Similarly,the maximum(97.50,and 98.00%)emergence percentage was observed using 8 h MgCl_(2) primed seeds and nontreated seeds(control treatment).The evaluation of parameters like chlorophyll contents and electrical conductivity showed the 8 h MgCl_(2) priming as the optimum treatment.The evaluation of parameters like chlorophyll contents and electrical conductivity showed the 8 h MgCl_(2) priming as the optimum treatment.The result suggests MgCl_(2) priming worked synergistically and improved seed-ling growth attributes under greenhouse conditions.The chlorophyll content ranged 25.94–35.69 SPAD unit.The highest chlorophyll content was obtained from the seedlings obtained from 4 h CaCl_(2) treatment,which were statistically similar to the chlorophyll contents of the seedlings obtained after 8 h MgCl_(2) treatment and nontreated seeds(control treatment).All other treatments showed inhibition in the chlorophyll contents and growth attributes of the seedlings.In conclusion,MgCl_(2) osmopriming treatments were significantly promotive and better compared to hydro-priming and osmopriming treatments including control treatment in terms of anise seeds germination and emergence.

SEED GERMINATION OF THUJA ORIENTALIS UNDER PEG OSMOSE TREATMENT

Thuja orientalis seeds was treated by different molecular weight, different concentra tion and different lasting time in the Seedling Laboratory of Northeast Forestry University. The results are as follows:(1) it shows sighificant promoting effects on the germination viability of seeds bydifferent molecular weight of PEG(-6000, -10000 and -20000), and PEG-10000 is the best.(2)Different on germination viability , germination rate and simple vigor index are made bydifferent concentration of the same weigh moleculart(PEG-10000), the promoting effects are shownwhen the concentration is below 30%, and from 20% to 30% is the best range, but inhibitions will beshown if the concentration is more than 35%. (3)The most suitable lasting tiem of osmose treatmentof PEG10000 ~ 20% concentration is from 2 to 4 days, not more than 6 days, but it will showsignificant inhibition if the treated time is more than 8 days. (4)The treatments of PEG10000 andPEG20000 with higher molecular weigh can increase the germination rate and seed vigor , and decrease the electric conductivity of the seed soaking liquid after the natural air-dry treatment. Thesuitable time of natural air-dry is aboul 6 to 8 hours. It is also concluded that the PEG osmose treatmat is an effective method to increase the germination rate by the field shoulation in the laboratroy.

Effects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on seed germination of Tamarindus indica: a multi-purpose tree species in Bangladesh

We investigated the morphology and germination of Tamarindus indica seeds in order to discover the ef- fects of variation in seed sources and pre-sowing treatments on germination. The experiment was carried out in the nursery of the Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh. Seeds were collected from different but healthy trees from various locations in Bangladesh and subjected to four pre-sowing treatments, i.e., control, immersion in cold water （4℃ for 24 h）, immersion in hot water （80℃ for 10 min） and scarification with sand paper. Seed germination was carried out in poly-bags with a mixture of topsoil and cow dung in the ratio of 3：1. The average length of the fresh seeds was 1.35 ＋ 0.26 cm, their width 1.07 ＋ 0.20 cm and thickness 0.69 ＋ 0.11 cm. The results revealed that pre-sowing treatments affected the germination process of seeds, which significantly increased the germination percentage with the cold water （81.67%） and scarification with sand paper （82.33%） treatments, compared with those in the control （58.33%） and hot water treatment （59.00%）. In all treatments germination started on average within 5 to 7 days after the start of the treatments and were completed from 13 to 19 days later. The greatest success in germination （82.33%） was found in scarification with sand paper, followed with 81.67% in the cold water treatment. The results of analyses of variance （ANOVA） showed significant differences （p 〈 0.05） in germination closing dates, seed germination periods and germination percentages among the treatments but no significant difference among seed sources. However, the effect of the interaction between seed source variation and pre-treatment differed significantly in seed germination closing dates and germination percentages. We recommend cold water treatment （submersion of seed at a temperature of 4℃ for a 24-h period） for seed germination of T. indica in rural Bangladesh.

Changes of Plasma Membrane H^+-ATPase Activities of Glycine max Seeds by PEG Treatment

The soybean （Glycine max） Heihe No. 23 is sensitive to imbibitional chilling injury. Polyethylene glycol （PEG） treatment can improve chilling tolerance of soybean seeds to a certain extent. The changes of hydrolytic ATPase in plasma membranes and H^＋-pumping responses in soybean seeds were investigated during PEG treatments. Effects of exogenous calcium and exogenous ABA on the hydrolytic ATPase were also examined in order to understand the mechanism of chilling resistance. Highly purified plasma membranes were isolated by 6.0% aqueous two-phase partitioning from soybean seeds, as judged by the sensitivity of hydrolytic ATPase to sodium vanadate. PEG treatment resulted in a slight increase of the hydrolytic ATPase activity in 12 h. Then the activity decreased gradually, but still higher than the control. The H^＋-pumping activity increased steadily during PEG treatment. Exogenous calcium had both activating and inhibiting effects on the hydrolytic ATPase, but the activity was inhibited in soybean seeds treated with exogenous ABA. Results suggested that PEG treatment, not the exogenous calcium and ABA, up-regulated H^＋-ATPase activities in soybean seeds.

Effect of different pre-sowing treatments on seed germination percentage and growth performance of Acacia auriculiformis

Seed morphology,germination and seedlings growth of Acacia auriculiformis were studied.The experiment was conducted in the nursery of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline,Khulna University,Bangladesh.Matured seeds of the species were collected from healthy trees of road side plantation from different areas of Khulna District,Bangladesh and treated with five pre-sowing treatments（control,immersion in cold water,immersion in hot water,scarification with sand paper and immersion in concentrated H2SO4）.The average length,breadth and thickness were found to be（0.58±0.017） cm,（0.44±0.007） cm and（0.20±0.089） cm,respectively.Germination was conducted in polybags with a mixture of top soil,coconut husk,coarse sand,and fine sand in a ratio of 3：4：1：1.Results reveal that pre-sowing treatments influences the germination rates of seeds that significantly increase the percentage germination compared with those in control（43%） and cold water treatment（52%）.The highest germination success rate was found 83% in hot water treatment followed by 78% in scarification with sand paper,and 75% with immersion in H2SO4.Germination started from 7 to 12 days and completed between 28 and 35 days period in all treatments.ANOVA showed the significant difference（p0.05） among the treatments in seed germination,but no significant difference among treatment with regard to starting day,closing day and total germination period.In case of height and diameter growth,seedlings originated from the seeds with hot water treatment shows significantly higher in wet season（from May to July）.Hot water treatment can be recommended on seed germination of the species in rural Bangladesh.

Seed yeast cultivation for salad oil manufacturing wastewater treatment

The mixture of five yeast strains obtained from soil could remove about 85% TOC of oil rich wastewater in batch test. While the highest MLSS was obtained at an N∶C of 1∶5, the oil removal decreased with the increase of N∶C during yeast sludge cultivation. Ammonium chloride was the best nitrogen source for yeast cultivation from the viewpoint of yeast growth and oil utilization. An ammonia concentration of over 1300 mg/L led to mass death of yeast at a pH of 5. The ammonia concentration should be controlled at a level of 1000 mg/L or lower.

Effects of Different Treatments on Seed Germination and Improvement of <i>Vitellaria paradoxa</i>

Shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) tree is one of the most important tree species in Africa owing to its high potential in reduction of poverty and hunger in rural areas and enhancing environmental sustainability. All parts of shea tree are important from bark to wood and from leaves to fruits. Despite all the uses and many more, shea is amongst the endangered species of trees because of over-utilization, low regeneration abilities and lack of efficient propagation methods. Consequently, this research seeks to determine the most efficient methods for propagating V. paradoxa. The experiment consists of three stages. In the first stage, complete fruits were planted without depulping;in the second experiment, the seeds were exposed to single seed treatments that were applied to the seeds and in the third experiment, the seeds were exposed to double seed treatments. It was observed that intact fruits did not germinate while the results showed the single seeds treatment to significantly have affected germination performance. De-shelled seeds germinated faster (43 days) than all other treatments but 48 hours soaking produced the highest germination percentage (91.7%). An even better result was recorded with double seeds treatments in which de-shelled plus 24 hours soaked seed germinated faster (39.3 days) than other treatments while sandpapered plus 24 hours soaked seeds had the best germination percentage (75%). Therefore, scarification using sandpaper plus soaking for 24 hours was identified as the best treatment for breaking seed dormancy in V. paradoxa.

Effect of Seed Heat-Treatment on the Oxidative Stability of Canola Oil Body Emulsions

Enhancement of oxidative stability of canola oil extracted from seed subjected to prior heat-treatment has been attributed to heat-induced generation of antioxidants from phenolic precursors occurring in canola seed. Dispersion of aqueous extracts of intact seed oil bodies (OBs) in water is a novel and interesting way of producing natural and oxidatively stable food emulsions with minimal use of synthetic antioxidants and emulsifiers. As there is growing interest in natural food emulsions containing unsaturated oils, we investigated whether the oxidative stability of canola OB emulsions could be further improved by subjecting canola seed to heat-treatment prior to oil body extraction. Oil-in-water (5%, w/w) emulsions of OBs extracted from canola seed before and after heat-treatment were considerably more resistant to oxidation than emulsions prepared from refined canola oil and Tween? 40 emulsifier. However, only small amounts (0.9% - 4.5% by weight) of the phenolic compounds present in canola seed were transferred to the OBs after aqueous extraction, and consequently there was no discernible effect on oxidative stability as a result of prior heat-treatment of the seed. Thus, in contrast to oil, there is no oxidative stability benefit to be gained by subjecting canola seed to heat-treatment prior to extraction of OBs.

Effects of Different Treatments on Rooting and Germination of Paeonia rockii T.Hong et J.J.Li Seeds

[Objectives] This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different treatments on rooting and germination of Paeonia rockii T. Hong et J.J.Li seeds. [Methods] Different stratification time and temperatures and different GA_3 concentrations and treatment time were set to screen the optimum treatment method for promoting seed rooting and germination. [Results] The rooting rate was the highest when the seeds were subjected to 30 d of stratification treatment in an incubator at 25℃, and treated with 300 mg/L GA_3 for 24 h. Soaking the seeds with 300 mg/L GA_3 for 24 h combined with 30 d of stratification treatment was most beneficial to germination, and the germination rate was over 90%. [Conclusions] This study provides technical guidance and basic information for the rooting and germination of P. rockii seeds.

Seed germination of Albizia procera(Roxb.)Benth.in Bangladesh:a basis for seed source variation and pre-sowing treatment effect

An experiment in seed morphology and seed germination techniques of Albizia procera was carried out in the nursery of the Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh in order to discover the source variation in seeds and pre-sowing treatment effects on seed germination. Mature seeds ofA. procera were collected from healthy trees in home garden plan- tations from five different districts in Bangladesh and treated with four pre-sowing treatments, i.e., control, immersion in cold water （4~C for 24 h） and immersion in hot water （80~C for 10 min and 100~C for 1 min）. The average length, width and thickness of seeds were calculated as 0.502 ＋ 0.485, 0.420 ~ 0.060 and 0.191 ~ 0.118 cm, respectively. Germination was conducted in poly-bags with a mixture of topsoil and cow dung in a ratio of 3：1. The results revealed that pre-sowing treatments affected the rate of germination of seeds, which significantly increased the germination percentages of seeds in hot water treatments compared with those in control （60.60%） and the cold water treatment （4℃ for 24 h, 63.53%）. The highest germination success was 82.07% in the treatment of im- mersion in hot water （80℃） for 10 min, followed by 79.00% in immersion in hot water （100℃） for l rain. Germination started 4 to 6 days after seed sowing and completed in a period of 22 to 25 days in all treatments. ANOVAs showed statistically significant dif- ferences （p 〈 0.05） in seed germination starting dates, closing dates, germination percentages and rates of germination among treat- ments, but no significant differences in seed germination starting dates, closing dates, germination period, germination percentages and rates of germination among the seed sources. The study also revealed that the interaction between seed source variation and treat- ment effect significantly differed in seed germination starting dates, closing dates, germination percentages and rates of germination. The hot water （100℃ for 1min） treatment is recommended for seed germination ofA. procera in rural Bangladesh.

Prolonged Seed Dormancy in <i>Phyllanthus emblica</i>L. Can Be Overturned by Seed Scarification and Gibberellin Pre Treatment

Phyllanthus emblica L. is an important constituent of Ayurvedic medicine and a fresh fruit species in the market in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it has a high potential to be established as a commercial fruit crop. The seeds of P. emblica are semi orthodox and exhibit a long dormancy period hindering the natural sexual propagation. Therefore, it still remains as an underutilized fruit crop in Sri Lanka due to its lack of quality planting material and poor propagation techniques. Long term dormancy also causes a big challenge in germinating seeds to create populations in breeding programs. In order to promote P. emblica from its underutilized status, what seems most feasible is to develop a method to break up the seed dormancy artificially. In order to do so, the methods of breaking the dormancy of P. emblica seeds have to be studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify a method to break up the seed dormancy of P. emblica. The seeds were extracted from 21 trees belonging to three different districts in Sri Lanka. The selected viable seeds were subjected to four different pre treatments: none treated seeds (i.e. control), seeds scarified, seeds scarified and treated with 1% gibberellin and seed coat removed and followed by seeds treated with 1% gibberellin. From the four treatments, seed dormancy was overturned with a germination percentage of 43% by the seed pre treatment where the seeds were scarified and treated with 1% gibberellin and no other pre treatment methods were successful in breaking the dormancy. This suggests that the natural germination potential of P. emblica seeds is very low and it can be overridden by seed scarification and gibberellin pre treatment.