Effects of osmopriming and hydropriming on vigour and germination of China aster(Callistephus chinensis(L.) Nees.) seeds

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of osmopriming and different hydropriming treatments on the vigour and germination of China aster(Callistephus chinensis) seeds. Seed vigour and germination tests were conducted at 10,20 and 30°C in darkness for untreated,osmoprimed and hydroprimed seeds. The following parameters and categories of seeds and seedlings were evaluated:the mean germination time(MGT) ,T10,T50,U75-25,U90-10,the percentage of germinating seeds(Gmax) ,germination capacity,percentage of abnormal seedlings and dead seeds. The results showed that osmopriming accelerated seed germination to the largest extent and improved the uniformity of germination at 10 and 30°C. Among the hydropriming treatments the highest speed of germination was observed for seeds hydrated in 500 μL of water per 1 g of seeds for 48 h at 15°C. This treatment accelerated seed germination at 10°C compared with the control. Osmopriming increased seed germination capacity at 30°C. None of the applied hydropriming treatments improved this parameter.