Importance of the Number of Radicles in Determining the normal Seedlings of Corn Seeds

Introduction: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a worldwide significant grain, forage, and energy crop. Producing high-quality hybrid seeds is a cornerstone of successful agriculture and can comprehensively enhance modern agricultural development (Li et al., ۲۰۲۴). Seed quality arises from various factors, but germination ability, vigor, longevity, and seed health are among the most critical aspects of seed quality and play a crucial role in determining it (Powell, ۲۰۲۲). Higher quality and more vigorous seeds germinate better, produce healthy seedlings, and generate stronger seedlings when faced with environmental stresses (Demir et al., ۲۰۰۴). Proper germination and seedling establishment are fundamentally determining factors in plant yield. Germination and seedling establishment directly and indirectly depend on numerous conditions such as the biological characteristics of the seed, storage and preservation conditions, soil environmental conditions on the mother plant, and pre-sowing management practices applied to the seed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the number of radicles on various characteristics of hybrid maize seedlings (Tatari et al., ۲۰۲۰). Materials and methods: This experiment was conducted in the Seed Technology Greenhouse of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Aburaihan Campus, University of Tehran, during the ۲۰۲۲-۲۰۲۳ academic year. For this purpose, ۲۵ hybrid maize varieties (۳۰۰ seeds) were tested under greenhouse conditions. The maize seeds were sown in seedling trays containing sandy soil at a temperature of ۲۷.۵°C under uniform conditions. After ten days, the seedlings were removed from the trays based on the number of embryonic roots (one, two, or three embryonic roots). Only ۱۹ varieties had all three types of embryonic roots. The seedlings were transplanted into pots with a diameter of ۱۵ cm and a height of ۲۰ cm, in three replicates, arranged in a completely randomized block design in a factorial manner, with ۱۰ seedlings per pot containing field soil. Irrigation was carried out according to the plant's water needs throughout the experiment. This study measured various characteristics such as leaf area, number of plants, seedling length, root length, root-to-shoot ratio, and number of embryonic roots. Additionally, the dry and fresh weights of the seedlings and roots were measured using a scale with an accuracy of ۰.۰۰۱ grams. Data analysis was performed using SAS statistical software. Results and Discussion: Results of the analysis of variance showed that the trait of radicle length was not significant in this experiment; however, a mean comparison was conducted. The results indicated that maize with three radicles had a significant difference in radicle length compared to maize with one and two radicles. The analysis of variance for shoot length showed that this trait was significant at the five percent level, with maize having three radicles showing the highest shoot length with an average of ۳۲ cm. Additionally, the dry weight of the shoot in maize with three radicles was significant at the one percent level, with an average of ۲.۵ grams, while the average dry weight of the shoot in maize with one and two radicles did not show a significant difference. The fresh weight of the shoot in maize with three radicles was about ۰.۲ grams higher than that of maize with one and two radicles. The dry weight of the radicle in maize with three radicles was significant at the one percent level, with an average of ۱.۸ grams, while the average dry weight of the radicles in maize with one and two radicles did not show a significant difference. The analysis of variance for fresh radicle weight showed that this trait was significant at the one percent level, with the fresh radicle weight being ۰.۱۵ grams higher than other radicles.

کلیدواژه ها:

Maize ، Hybrid seeds ، Germination ، Seedling establishment ، Radicle length ، Shoot length ، Seedling characteristics