Response of wheat seed to priming combinations.

An experiment using the randomized complete block design in three replications was conducted in 2013 under laboratory conditions to study the effects of different treatments of hydro-priming and osmo-priming on seed germination of the Darya cultivar of wheat. The treatments studied included subjecting the seeds for 12 or 24 hours to polyethylene glycol 6000 at three concentrations (5, 10, and 15 percent), potassium nitrate at three concentrations (1, 2 and 3 percent), potassium chloride at three concentrations (1, 2 and 4 percent), and a control treatment of distilled water. Results obtained showed that the rates of germination, total percentages of germination, percentages of normal seedlings, lengths of the radicles and sprouts, length ratios of root to shoot, lengths of the seedlings, dry weight of radicles and  weight  ratios of root to shoot were statistically significant at one percent level, but the dry weight of the sprouts and seedling weren't statistically significant. The maximum germination rate (22.11) was achieved in the treatment of 8 hrs using distilled water, and the minimum germination rate (7.61) in the 16 hrs treatments with four percent KCL. The highest total germination rate (100) was observed in the treatments of distilled water with 16 hrs, where as the lowest (40.67) observed in the 16 hrs treatment using 4 percent KCL. The results also indicated that the highest percentages of normal seedlings (95.33 and 100) belonged to the 8 and 16 hrs treatment with distilled water respectively, and to the 8 hrs treatment of using five percent PEG (92.67) and 1 percent KNO3 at 16 hrs (96.67), and the lowest (40.00) was that of the 16 hrs treatment with four percent KCL. Results observed also suggested that the factors measured, including the rate and the percentage of seed germination and also the lengths of the radicles and sprouts and seedlings, exhibited an ascending trend when higher concentrations of osmo-priming compounds were used. These compounds showed their greatest effects when used at low concentrations.