Seed ageing is a main problem of seed storage. Unsuitable storage conditions with high moisture and temperature increases seed ageing. In fact, seed ageing results in the decrease of seed quality. Seed priming is known as a seed enhancement treatment which could improve seed germination and germination synchrony in many of crops. In this experiment we investigated effects of seed ageing, application of phytohormone and KNO3 on aged corn seeds. In order to improve germination characteristics in aged seeds phytohormone treatment using different gibberlline concentration (50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 ppm) and KNO3(0.5, 1, 2.5 and 4%) were used. Results of study showed significant difference in aged seeds. It was also observed that with higher ageing duration, more germination characteristics decreased. Gibberlline at 400 ppm increased germination characteristics in aged seeds and had a positive effect on seed germination of aged corn seeds. KNO3 also had positive effects on seed germination of aged seed. This was higher in application of 0.5% KNO3 for 8 h and 2.5% for 24 h. Based on our results, it was suggested that seed ageing for higher duration could significantly decrease seed quality. Using seed enhancement treatments like seed priming or application of phytohormone could improve aged and non-aged seed performance especially for high aged seeds.
Key words: Seed, accelerated ageing, KNO3, gibberlline, seed priming, maize.
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