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ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF
GRASS SEED BY MATRICONDmONING
J. D.
E. S.
W. J.
C. D.
Maguire
Maring
Johnston
Burrows
Table 1-Ratio of seed:carrier:water, duration, water content, and
water potential of matriconditioned grass seed
Preplant conditioning with moist solid carriers, a technique termed matriconditioning, has proved effective in
improving germination and early seedling emergence.
Matriconditioning grass seed with Micro-Cel E (MCE), a
synthetic calcium silicate, produced rapid, uniform emergence and greater seedling growth under environmental
stress conditions.
As indicated in figure 1, water uptake by germinating
seed follows a triphasic pattern (Bewley and Black 1985).
By maintaining high negative water potential the MCE,
which has negligible osmotic effects, controlled imbibition
of the seed to a level that allowed pregermination without
radicle protrusion. The objectives of this study were to
develop seed preconditioning techniques via matriconditioning to improve grass seed germination, emergence
and stand establishment.
Grass
species
Bluebunch
wheatgrass
Wild rye
Idaho fescue
Kentucky
bluegrass
Big bluegrass
Water
Duration content
Water
potential
Weight ratio
Days
Percent
MPa
16:8:24.0
16:8:28.8
16:8:17.6
4
4
2
66
53
65
-1.90
-1.28
-2.15
16:8:18.0
16:8:20.8
7
4
50
52
-2.10
-2.33
idahoensis}, bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria
spicata ssp. spicata}, and wildrye (Leymus giganteus}.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MCE, a hydrated synthetic calcium silicate, was used as
the solid carrier in conditioning seed. Seeds were matriconditioned at 15 oc in glass jars with lids loosened to
allow oxygen exchange according to methods outlined by
Khan and others (1990}. The ratios of seed to carrier to
water were as indicated in table 1. After conditioning,
seeds were placed on a fine-meshed strainer and MCE
was washed off with deionized water. Seeds were air
dried under ambient laboratory conditions for 2 days.
Seeds were germinated on blotters in petri dishes at
25/15 oc (12 h light-12 h dark} or planted in field soil for
emergence. Ambient average temperatures ranged from
7.5 to 14.5 oc during field studies.
The matric potentials (the water retentive force) of
the MCE and the various grass seed species were determined with a thermocouple psychrometer (model SC--10,
Decagon Devices, Pullman, WA} connected to a nanovoltmeter (model NT-3, Decagon Devices). Table 1 shows
the water content and water potential of seeds at end of
matriconditioning.
Grass seeds used were Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), big bluegrass (Poa secunda}, Idaho fescue (Festuca
mblbltlonf
Seed:carrler:
water
Pregermlnatlon
l
LegPhate
(dO% of water needGd to germinate)
RadlcSe
protrusion
Time
RESULTS
Figure 1-lmbibltlon of water by seed during germination. (Adapted from Bewley and Black 1985).
The effects of matriconditioning on the germination of
the grass species evaluated are shown in table 2. Matriconditioning enhanced germination rate and percent germination ofbluebunch wheatgrass. Time to 50 percent
of total germination (T-50) for matriconditioned seed was
2.5 days vs. 3.9 days for untreated seed. Total germination was 96 percent and 89 percent for matriconditioned
and untreated seed, respectively. Kentucky bluegrass
Poster paper presented at the Symposium on Ecology, Management,
and Restoration of Intermountain Annual Rangelands, Boise, ID,
May 18-22, 1992.
J. D. Maguire is Professor of Agronomy, E. S. Maring is Research
Technician, W. J. Johnston is Associate Professor, and C. D. Burrows
is Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences,
Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6420.
266
Table 2-The effect of matriconditionlng on the germination of four
grass species at 25·15 oc (12 h light-12 h dark)
Grass
species
Matrlcondltloned seed
Germl1
T·10 2f-50 nation
- - - Days • - - Percent
Bluebunch
wheatgrass
Wild rye
Idaho fescue
Kentucky
bluegrass
Big bluegrass
0
....
Untreated seed
GermIT-10 T-50 nation
---Days---
40
-
Q. 30
'E
Untreated
MCE
§
Percent
-8
l2o
1.5a3
3.3a
3.6a
2.5a
5.08
S.Oa
96a
90a
73a
3.0b
4.1b
5.1b
3.9b
5.6b
6.9b
89b
84a
62a
cG)
~
10
G)
3.4a
2.8a
s.oa
4.08
91a
93a
5.5b
3.8b
7.0b
5.1a
E
91a
86a
w
0
1
Tlme to 10 percent of total germination.
2flme to 50 percent of total germination.
'Mean separation between respective columns (T-10, T-50, percent germlnation) by LSD (P• 0.05).
9
12
15
18
21
24
27
30
Time After Planting (days)
Figure ~Field emergence of matriconditioned
Kentucky bluegrass compared to untreated seed.
based on pure live seed (PLS) percentage. Planted
March 11, 1992. Temperatures ranged from 7.5 to
14.5 °0.
germination rate was enhanced by matriconditioning,
T-50 was 5 days vs. 7 days. Wildrye and Idaho fescue
germination rates were also enhanced. For these species,
T-50 for matriconditioned seed compared to untreated
seed was 5 days vs. 5.6 days and 5 days vs. 6.9 days,
respectively.
Bluebunch wheatgrass time to 50 percent field emergence was 17 days for matriconditioned seed vs. 20 days
for untreated seed (fig. 2). Total emergence was 75 percent vs. 65 percent, respectively, 28 days after planting.
Total Kentucky bluegrass emergence was the same (35
percent) for matriconditioned and untreated seed, apparently due to favorable temperatures; however, earlier
emergence was obtained by matriconditioning the seed
(fig. 3). Time to 10 percent emergence for MCEconditioned bluegrass seed was attained at 16 days vs.
20 days for untreated seed. Unpublished data (Burrows)
indicate that MCE improved overall performance of
Kentucky bluegrass in wet soil under cool temperatures.
Field trials are continuing to evaluate biomass production
and suppression of grassy weeds.
CONCLUSIONS
Preplant conditioning of grass seed with solid carriers
such as Micro-Cel E enhanced germination and early
emergence under environmental stress and may improve
overall stand establishment. This seed-priming technique
has potential for biological suppression of annual grassy
weeds in pastures and rangelands.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The poster was prepared by E. S. Maring, J. D. Maguire,
C. D. Burrows, W. J. Johnston, C. Golob, T. R. Schultz, and
K. Larson. The authors gratefully acknowledge the gift
by Manville Corporation of Micro-Cel E used in these
experiments.
80
tR
....
Q.
!
70
60
§
50
&
40
-8
30
~
20
E
w
10
i
•
0
10
-Untreated
MCE
REFERENCES
13
16
19
22
25
28
Time After Planting (days)
Figure 2-Reld emergence of matriconditioned
bluebunch wheatgrass compared to untreated seed,
based on pure live seed (PLS) percentage. Planted
March 11, 1992. Temperatures ranged from 7.5 to
14.5°C.
267
Bewley, J.D.; Black, M. 1985. In: Seeds. Physiology of development and germination. New York: Plenum. 118 p.
Khan, A. A.; Miura, H.; Prusinkski, J.; Dyas, S. 1990.
Matriconditioning of seeds to improve performance .
In: Proc. Natl. Symp. Stand Estab. Hort. Crops.
Minneapolis, MN: 19-40.
Khan, A. A.; Abawi, G. S.; Maguire, J. D. 1992. Integrating matriconditioning and fungicidal treatment of table
beet seed to improve stand establishment and yield.
Crop Science. 31(1): 231-237.
Maguire, J. D.; Maring, E. S.; Burrows, C. D. 1991. Enhancement of seed performance by matriconditioning.
Supplement, Journal of Applied Seed Production. 9:
68-69.