• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.292-301
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• 2014

Akinete germination may be a starting point of some akinete-producing cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic freshwater systems. This study examined germinability of akinete of a cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis isolated from the sediment of the North Han River (Cheongpyung Dam), Korea, under several environmental factors such as temperature ($5{\sim}25^{\circ}C$), light ($0{\sim}100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pH (5~12). The high germination rate appeared at high temperature: >55% at $25^{\circ}C$, followed by 15% at $15^{\circ}C$, $10^{\circ}C$ and 10% at $5^{\circ}C$. Low light intensity was favorable for akinete germination. Over 45% of germination occurred at low light intensities (5, 15 and $30{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$), while less than 10% of germination occurred at both 50 and $100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. No germination occurred in the dark condition. Akinete germination rate increased with nutrient (phosphorus and nitrogen) enrichment, and nitrogen addition showed greater effect on the germination compared to phosphorus addition. Akinetes germinated well at neutral or slightly alkaline pH condition (pH 7 and pH 8: >55%), but no germination was observed at pH 11~12. The present study demonstrates some favorable ambient conditions of Anabaena circinalis germination, which could provide useful information to study the germination conditions of other Anabaena species or akinete-forming algae and predict its bloom in eutrophic freshwaters.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.42-51
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• 2010

Herbs and shrubs are employed for environmental restoration purposes. Among common herbs and shrubs, few species with low germination rates were selected and studied for enhanced germination rates and decreased germination times via soaking treatment. Rhus chinensis, incubator grown samples treated with the bacterial solution for 72hrs followed by immediate seeding showed the highest germination rate of 26.7% and germination period of 5.7 days, 3 days decrease from the control. Treatment of distilled water (t=3.79, p<0.01), nutrient broth (t=4.44, p<0.00) and bacterial solution (t=4.42, p<0.00) showed highly significant difference. In the case of soil tests, treating in the nutrient broth for 72 hrs followed by immediate seeding yielded the the highest germination rate of 23.3% with 7.3 days to initial germination, a decrease of 14.7 days with respect to the control. All the samples followed by immediate seeding showed significant difference (t=2.13, p<0.05). Incubator grown samples of Lespedeza cyrtobotrya showed different results. The incubator samples suspended for 48 hrs in distilled water followed by immediate seeding and 1 day drying displayed the highest germination rate of 96.7%, surpassing that of the control by 33.4%. The incubator samples treated with the distilled water and nutrient broth showed enhanced germination. But only the samples treated with distilled water and nutrient broth for 48hrs showed the increased germination in soil tests. All the sample treated for 24 hrs followed by immediate seeding or dried for 1 day showed initial germination as early as 1 day in incubator. The initial germinations were shortened in the samples treated with distilled water and nutrient broth for 48hrs in soil tests. Lespedeza cuneata incubator sample treated with nutrient broth for 24 hrs and dried for 1 day exhibited the highest germination rate of 83.3%, a 31.1% improvement over the control. The incubator samples treated with distilled water for 48 hrs (t=4.20, p<0.01) showed effective increase of germination. The treatment of distilled water (t=2.96, p<0.05) and bacterial solution (t=2.24, p<0.05) showed significant difference. The germination rates in soil were less than those of incubator and the control. The incubator samples treated with distilled water and bacterial solution displayed 1 day germination period, shortened by 1.3 days compared to the control. For soil grown samples, the samples treated with distilled water showed delayed initial germination and those treated with nutrient broth for 48hrs and bacterial solution for 72hrs shortened initial germination.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.211-216
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• 2001

In an effort to investigate the germination and growth characteristics of tannin containing forage crops (such as chicory, birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus pedunculatus, sulla, lespedeza, crownvetch, sainfoin), germinativity, seedling vigor, and productivity were studied. Although the cumulative germination percentage (CGP) of chicory and birdsfoot trefoil was low, the germination rate(GR) and days to reach 50% of final germination(Gt50) were excellent. Crownvetch, lespedeza and sainfoin showed poor germination. Chicory seeds were light but the rate of emergence and establishment were high. Seeds of Lotus pedunculatus and birdsfoot trefoil were also small, but their rates of emergence and establishment were quite good. On the other hand, seeds of sainfoin and crownvetch were heavy but their emergence and establishment rate were very low. Lespedeza was the best in getting over the hot summer, and crownvetch also survived well during summer. Chicory was good in productivity and early growing but its persistence was not good. In case of birdsfoot trefoil and Lotus pedunculatus their early growing were slow but their productivity and persistence were fairly well. Lespedeza, crownvetch, and sainfoin showed poor growth in Korea. Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that chicory would be better to use as short term high productive forage crop, and Lotus pedunculatus and birdsfoot trefoil could be used as continuous functional forage crops in Korea. (Key words : Tannin. Germination. Chicory. Birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus pedunculatus)

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.557-566
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• 2016

In nine commercial watermelon cultivars, the effects of osmotic seed priming were evaluated for seed viability and seedling growth at different germination temperatures and field conditions. Generally, primed seeds showed improved germination rate and reduced time for emergence at different germination temperatures, as compared to untreated seeds. In particular, priming effect on seed germination was significantly high at $15^{\circ}C$, which is an environment normally resulting in poor germination. Depending on the watermelon cultivar, germination rate under low temperature ($15^{\circ}C$) was improved by up to 15~66% in primed seeds, as compared to untreated seeds. However, priming effect on germination was gradually reduced as the temperature reached to its optimum level for seed germination. Seed priming tended to improve the viability, fresh weight, and dry weight of watermelon seedlings, but its effect on seedling stage was not large, as compared to untreated seeds. Primed watermelon seeds showed improved emergence rate and facilitated germination in the field, but their seedling growth after 30 days from germination was not significantly affected. Our results indicated that seed priming can greatly improve the seed germination at poor temperature conditions in the watermelon.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2000

The experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of the seed germination and the bulb dormancy in Korean-native Allium victorialis L. by the physicochemical treatments. The characteristics of two Allium victorialis seeds was similar in shape, color and threshing but different in other characters. Weight of 1,000 grains in Ullrung-native was 14.8g corresponding to 2.1 times as compared with Odae-native. Seeding immediatly after seed collection of Ullrung-native only germinated and chemicals didn't affect in germination improvement. The germination rate, average days to germination and coefficient of germination of Ullrung-native was 86%, 42 days and 2.05 at the dark condition of control, respectively. The germination rate, average days to germination and coefficient of germination of Odae-native was 70%, 47 days and 1.5 at the dark condition of control and 82%, 47 days, 1.75 at the light condition after 5$^{\circ}C$ prechilling for 30 days, respectively. The bedding days to reduce the physiological dormancy in the bulb of Odae-native assumed to be appropriate up to 45 days after the first prechilling.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.132-138
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• 2003

This experiment was conducted to investigate the mass propagation system of Aster glehni FR. and to obtain the basic data for improvement of germination and seedling. The following was the results of experimentation about temperature and light conditions, and priming treatment as kinds of chemicals, their concentration and treated periods affect germination of Aster glehni FR. The germination percentage of Aster glehni FR. seed was higher in 20 and 25$^{\circ}C$ than the others, but it dropped rapidly at 30$^{\circ}C$ and didn't germinate at 35$^{\circ}C$. The first day to germination was the slowest at 15$^{\circ}C$. The germination rate of Aster glehni FR seed increased with increasing with temperatures from 15 to 25$^{\circ}C$. But the seed was rotten easily in high temperature. The germination rate was shown highest in 25$^{\circ}C$, and next was 15, 20, 30$^{\circ}C$ in order. Light treatment enhanced germination percentage, the first day to germination, germination rate and T50, but there was no significant difference. The 3 hours priming treatments had more effect on germination percentage than 30 minutes treatments as comparing averages. Aster glehni FR seeds primed in $KNO_3+K_3PO_4$ for 3 hours had most eHective on germination percentage (83.3%) and also showed shortest $T_{50{\cdot}}T_{50}$ and day of first germination was better in 30 minutes than 3 hours treatments, and most of priming treatments were better than control(non-priming seeds). While priming seeds showed shorter day of first gemination than control, there was no significant difference between 30 minutes and 3 hours treatments.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.427-434
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• 2014

This study aimed to investigate the effects of pre-harvest sprouting (PHS)-damaged grains of rice on seed viability, germination percentage and seedling emergence rate. As comparing the seed lots of same cultivar 'Hopum' with different PHS percentages, seed lot with 8% PHS (high PHS percentage) showed 30% lower germination than that with 1% PHS (low PHS percentage). The difference of seedling emergence rate and seed viability percentages between the two seed lots was consistent with that of germination percentage. PHS-damaged brown rice was observed protruded embryo, discolored endosperm and fungi infected grains. PHS grains were classified into two groups, PHS-I showing endosperm discoloration in one third of a grain and PHS-II in more than half of a grain. The seed lot with high PHS percentage had much more PHS-II grains than that of low PHS percentage. PHS-II grains showed remarkably lower germination percentage than PHS-I grains and got severely moldy during germination test. In laboratory experiment, morphological changes and re-germination ability of seeds which dried after germination by soaking were tested. Sprouted seeds of 3mm shoot length showed half discolored endosperm and had a strong resemblance with PHS-II grains. Re-germination percentage of 3mm sprouted seeds sharply decreased than 2 mm sprouted seeds. Sprouted seeds which were treated for accelerated-aging (AA) for 24hr at $45^{\circ}C$ were significantly reduced in re-germination percentage compared to that of non-AA-treated sprouted seeds. These results indicate that PHS with over 3mm shoot length can severely damage not only grain appearance but also seed viability, germination percentage and seedling emergence rate. Therefore, we conclude that larger difference of germination percentage or seedling emergence rate between seed lots having smaller difference of PHS percentage might be caused by accelerated seed deterioration in PHS-damaged rice grains.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.328-333
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• 2006

All the plants on earth live under an electric and magnetic field because the earth is a magnet and there is an electric field between the charged cloud and the ground. It has been reported that electromagnetic fields influence both the activation of ions and polarization of dipoles in living cells of seeds and plants, though the mechanism of these actions is still poorly understood. In this paper, the effects of the electric and magnetic fields and exposure times to the germination of several vegetable seeds and its early growth have been investigated experimentally to find out the feasibility of a plant factory for mass production of clean and unpolluted vegetables. The germination rate and the growth rate of some seeds under the fields exposed were analysed and compared with those of unexposed ones. It is found that the germination rate and its early growth rate of exposed seeds under the fields were accelerated about 1.1-1.4 and 1.7-2.2 times in maximum compared with those of unexposed ones. But, however, an inhibitory effect on germination and plant early growth were shown in the case of the higher electric and magnetic fields.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.393-397
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• 2012

This study was investigated seed germination of Rheum undulatum L. depends on storage temperature (-20, $5^{\circ}C$ and room temperature), germination temperature (5, 15, 25 and $40^{\circ}C$) and a soaking treatment (no soaking, 2 days and 4 days). There was not much difference from the germination rate of R. undulatum L. in storage temperature conditions for 8 weeks. The highest of germination rate occurred over 80 percentage at $25^{\circ}C$. When R. undulatum L. was soaked with tap water for four days, the average values of germination velocity and germination day were represented of 1.7 ea/day and 1.68 days. These results may help our understanding of variations in germination characteristics for R. undulatum L. seeds treated under various germination conditions.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.688-692
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of molecular weight and concentrations of chitosan on the germination of brown rice. Brown rice was germinated at $30^{\circ}C$ for three days in various chitosan solutions. The germination rate of the brown rice increased with increasing concentrations of chitosan solution, and was higher in the chitosan solution than in water. GABA content increased with increasing germination time and chitosan solution concentration. As the molecular weight of the chitosan decreased, germination rate and GABA content increased in the brown rice. The GABA content of germinated brown rice using low molecular weight chitosan A in a 100 ppm solution was 5145.5 nmole/g. This is approximately a five times higher value than that of the water-germinated brown rice. Texture properties were enhanced in all the germinated brown rice samples in chitosan solution compared to the brown rice germinated in water. These results indicate that chitosan solution treatment can increase germination rate and GABA synthesis activity in brown rice during germination, and can also improve the texture properties of brown rice.