Vol. 29 No. 4 (2015)
Articles

Dormancy removal in pistachio nut: Influences of Hydrogen Cyanamid (Dormex®) as compared to ordinary seed chemical pre-treatments

M. Jangali Baygi
Horticulture Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan
M. Alizadeh
Horticulture Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan
F. Ghaderifar
Agronomy Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan
M. Sharifani
Horticulture Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan

Published 2015-12-31

Keywords

  • dormancy,
  • germination,
  • gibberellin,
  • KNO3,
  • hydrogen cyanamid

How to Cite

Jangali Baygi, M., Alizadeh, M., Ghaderifar, F., & Sharifani, M. (2015). Dormancy removal in pistachio nut: Influences of Hydrogen Cyanamid (Dormex®) as compared to ordinary seed chemical pre-treatments. Advances in Horticultural Science, 29(4), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.13128/ahs-22719

Abstract

Seed germination is considered an important phenological stage of plant growth during which the viable, nondormant embryos develop into seedlings under favorable conditions. Currently, various seed priming treatments may be used to enhance germination values (germination percentage, Lag phase, time to reach 50% germination) and breaking dormancy; gibberellins and KNO3 are applied as common treatments in this regard. In the present study, efficacy of Hydrogen Cyanamid (HCN, Dormex®) on seed germination of two cultivated pistachio varieties (Abasali, Shahpasand) were studied and the results were compared to ordinary ingredients, namely gibberellic acid (GA3) and KNO3. The extraction of parameters was carried out using four-parameter Hill function. The results reveal that HCN may significantly improve critical parameters involved in pistachio seed germination. In Shahpasand variety, seeds treated with HCN germinated prior to other treatments (150.53 hours after treatment) and achieved 50% germination earlier than other treatments (199.00 hours only). According to the results, utilization of HCN in seed testing experiments may be encouraged.