Relationship of Seed Coat Color, Harvest Date and Drying Temperature on the Viability of Sunflower Seeds

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was carried out in the Seed Technology Laboratory of the Field Crops Department - College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad for the years 2020 and 2021. The laboratory experiment was carried out by CRD design with three repetitions and with three factors such as the first factor four colors of the sunflower seed coat (black striped white, brown striped white, black and white), and the second factor three moisture for harvest (16-25, 26-35 and 36-45%) and the third factor included three levels of drying seeds [air drying and drying seeds in the oven at temperatures 40 and 50). The results showed the superiority of the black cover color as it gave the highest rate for the first and final stander germination (58.81 and 90.96%), root length, dry weight of the seedlings and the germination force (8.10 cm and 0.0913 mg seedling^-1 and 1709.0), and the brown cover color with the white striped which gave the highest rate. of the feather length (10.70 cm). The moisture of the harvest (16-25%), which gave the highest rate for the characteristics of the first count in the standard laboratory germination examination (and the second count in the standard laboratory germination examination, was superior to (88.00 % 55.33%). The harvest moisture (26-26) (35%) in the characteristics of root and shoot length, seedling dry weight, germination strength (9.44 cm and 11.83 cm, 0.1093 mg seedling^-1 and 1847.4) The drying temperature (40 °C) was superior for the characteristics of the first and second counts (50.56% and 81.56%) and the length of root and germination strength (8.49 cm and 1523) were superior to air drying for stalk length and seedling dry weight (10.82 cm and 0.0952 mg seedling^-1).