2018 Volume 87 Issue 2 Pages 192-197
Hot water treatment of rice seed is a common disinfection method that requires no agricultural chemicals. However, the effect of hot water treatment on seed germination remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the effect of the treatment with 60°C water for 10 minutes on seed germination and seedling emergence in Hokkaido rice cultivars under normal and low temperature conditions. Under the normal temperature (27ºC) conditions, hot water treatment only slightly improved the early germination rate. In contrast, under low temperature (15ºC) conditions, germination was promoted by the hot water treatment. Germination of rice seeds harvested in 2014 was more promoted by hot water treatment than those harvested in 2015. In “Nanatsuboshi”, “Yumepirika” and “Oborozuki” cultivars harvested in 2014, seedling emergence rates under low temperature conditions were improved by hot water treatment. Thus, hot water seed treatment is a possible sterilization method for direct-seeding, which promotes seed germination and seedling emergence in Hokkaido rice cultivars grown under low temperature conditions.
