Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pendleton, Oregon » Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #96606
Title: VAPOR VERSUS SEED-SOIL CONTACT IN THE GERMINATION OF WHEAT

Author
item Wuest, Stewart
item Albrecht, Stephan
item Skirvin, Katherine

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This study compared germination with and without seed-soil contact. Wheat seed was either provided with good seed-soil contact or separated from soil by fiberglass cloth. The number of days wheat required for germination was compared in soils that ranged from wet to dry and ranged in temperature from cold to warm. The average increase in germination time due to the absence of seed-soil contact was one-third of a day, which was only 6 %. The importance of seed-soil contact for germination of seeds may be overemphasized in germination models and seeding equipment design. Seeds can absorb water directly from the soil atmosphere without direct contact with liquid water films on the soil particles. Vapor alone can produce satisfactory germination.

Technical Abstract: This study compared germination with and without seed-soil contact. Over a temperature range from 3 to 28 C, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seed was either provided with good seed- soil contact or separated from soil by fiberglass cloth. At soil water potentials of -3.2 and -1.6 MPa, no seeds germinated in either treatment. When the soil water potential was -0.8 MPa or above, the average increase in germination time due to the absence of seed-soil contact was 0.3 d (5.6 %). The importance of seed-soil contact for imbibition and germination may be overemphasized in germination models and seeding equipment design. Seeds can imbibe water directly from the soil atmosphere without contact with liquid water films. Vapor alone can produce satisfactory germination.