Preparation of self-heating tobacco seed pellets and their germination under cool conditions

Self-heating tobacco seed pellets were prepared using seeds of two tobacco cultivars: chilling tolerant HHDJW and chilling sensitive Msk326. The pelleting agents contained electrochemical heating agents comprising reduced iron powder, activated carbon, and polymer-in-salt solid electrolyte. The solid electrolyte was made of urea, thiourea, and polyethylene glycol. The pelleted seeds generated heat, that was derived from the electrochemical reaction and exothermic oxidation of iron exposed to oxygen in air. Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate the temperature changes as well as germination and seedling characteristics of the self-heating pelleted seeds under cool conditions at 11 degrees C. The temperature of the self-heating pelleted seeds was always higher than the control pellet within the first 66-72 h, and the germination and seedling growth of both cultivars were significantly enhanced under cool conditions.