Effects of Different Pretreatment Methods on Germination of Wheat (Triticum aestivum, Poaceae)

Seed dormancy in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major problem attributing to yield loss. It is a complex evolutionary trait that temporarily prevents seed germination, thus allowing seedling growth at a favorable season. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different pre-treatments on germination. The pre-germination treatments included mechanical scarification, soaking seeds in hot water at 100°C for 5 minutes, cold water for 24 hours and untreated (control). Two hundred seeds were used for each treatment. Seeds treated with cold and hot water commenced germination after 4 days and achieved 84%, 78.5% respectively germination within 10 days which was significantly different (P < 0.05) from other treatments, especially the untreated seeds which had the lowest germination of 30%, and commenced first germination after 10 days. The results showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in germination percentage and germination time. Results obtained in this experiment indicate that the pre-germination treatment of Farasi wheat seeds by using cold and hot water treatments can enhance germination of the seeds by breaking dormancy.