Abstract
The efficient refinement of seed is required to reduce the cost and labor input in artificial propagation of wild plant. This study was carried out to develop methods for collecting and refining tiny seeds from wild plants. For obtaining Phragmites communis seeds, the inflorescence was cut into small fragments using a Straw Cutter and subsequently detached pappus hairs from seed coat by Hammer Mill. The primary refined seeds were passed 1.0 mm sieve. The screened seeds were subjected to Seed Blower with wind speed of 0.25 mㆍsec-1 to collected intact and well-ripen seeds. The seeds of Imperata cylindrica were refined as follows. Inflorescences were cut using a Straw Cutter first. The pappus was removed from cut fragments using a Hammer Mill and subsequently subjected to Seed Scarifier at 500rpm for 60 sec. for further separation. The separated seeds were passed 1.0 mm screen and collected after blowing with Seed Blower of wind speed of 0.15 mㆍsec-1. When the amount of seed was too little to refine with Seed Scarifier and Blower, the procedure was slightly modified from the procedure described above. The crude seed mixture obtained from Hammer Mill step was hand-refined roughly and then immersed into cone. (95%) sulfuric acid for 2 min. and collected floating portion after dilution of sulfuric acid solution 100 times with tap water. The collected seeds were dried and passed 0.149 mm sieve. During seed refining process using mechanical or sulfuric acid treatments, a small portion of damaged seed were evolved, however, the amount was not noticeable as compared to the total amount of collected seeds. Because the germination percentages between hand-refined seeds and seeds refined by above methods were not statistically different, the developed procedures for refining tiny seed of wild plants are helpful to reduce the cost and labor input in artificial propagation of two species.