Improvement of red beet monogerm clusters germination using rubbing and water treatments

The aim of the research was to improve the germination parameters of red beet monogerm clusters using pre-sowing treatments. Red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) clusters of two monogerm breeding lines, AR79A and W411A, differed in the initial germination capacity, were studied. Five seed treatments including rubbing, leaching for 4, 8 and 24 hours, and soaking for 24 hours, were performed. Based on the germination test carried out at 15 and 20ºC, the germination traits, such as the mean germination time (MGT), coefficient of uniformity of germination (CUG), coefficient of velocity (COV), germination capacity (GC) and germination rate (GR), were measured. Compared to the control, treatments used in the study improved the most of measured germination features for both tested lines. The leaching of clusters for 24 hours yielded the best enhancement in most of the germination traits. The rubbing was the least effective technique in terms of improvement in the germination parameters. The germination of treated clusters at 15 and 20°C presented comparable, and better than the control, values of germination features. The interaction between treatment method and germination temperature showed that leaching of clusters for 24 hours and germination at 20°C was the technique that successfully influenced the majority of the germination characteristics. Finally, it was noted that each pre-sowing technique significantly improve germination parameters, however the line AR79A with lower initial GC (65%) presented better improvement of MGT, CUG and GC than the line W411A with higher initial GC (84%).