Speeding Up the Germination Process

Speeding Up the Germination Process Imagine you are the owner of a greenhouse which produces bedding plants. A customer orders 100 flats of begonia seedlings and wants to pick them up in a month. You begin to panic, as begonia seeds are sometimes slow to germinate and occasionally germinate unevenly. What Is Seed Priming? Your answer may be to obtain primed seeds. Seed priming is used by seed producers and growers to control germination. Mainly, seed priming is used to shorten germination time, which, as in the case of the begonias, is often desirable. The various seed priming processes have been carefully designed to allow for some of the early germination processes to take place, but not for the completion of full germination. Therefore, a grower can plant primed seed which has much of the germination process completed and expect early emergence. The process can also allow for more uniform, even germination of the treated seeds. It can also increase germination over a wider temperature range, and reduce disease incidence in seeds. In some plant species, priming is necessary, rather than merely desirable, in order to overcome seed dormancy. How Does Seed Priming Work? Seed priming allows for the regulation of the water content in the seed, either by soaking the seeds in water or in a solute; or, by exposing the seeds to water vapor. The seeds imbibe water for a predetermined time interval. After the time interval, the process is halted right before the first root, called the radicle, emerges from the seed. A high amount of water is needed for radicle emergence, so the priming process is ceased to prevent full germination from occurring. The primed seeds can then be dried and sown when ready. You may be wondering why the seed doesnt dry out during the priming process and become unable to germinate. If the process is properly controlled, the hydration treatment is stopped before the desiccation tolerance is lost. There is a limit for each plant species as to when the line between priming and pre-germination is crossed. Safe limits have been calculated as to the maximum length of time for which seeds can be primed. If the maximum length is exceeded, it can lead to seedling damage. Seed Priming Methods There are four common methods utilized for priming seeds: hydropriming, osmotic priming, solid matrix priming, and drum priming. Other methods are proprietary, which means they are trade secrets or patented, so someone would have to pay to use those methods! Hydropriming- Hydropriming is the simple soaking of seeds in water, although aerated distilled water is preferred. This process is especially useful in economically disadvantaged, arid crop growing areas.Osmotic priming- Osmotic priming, also called osmopriming or osmoconditioning, is the soaking of seeds in solutions containing chemicals such as mannitol, potassium nitrate (KNO3), potassium chloride (KCl), polyethylene glycol (PEG), or sodium chloride (NaCl). Plant hormones, which control or affect various stages of seed germination, or beneficial microorganisms (which help control fungal and bacterial disease) can be added to the osmopriming solutions.Solid matrix priming- Solid matrix priming involves the incubation of seeds in a solid, insoluble matrix, such as vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, or another highly water-absorbent polymer, with a limited amount of water, allowing for slow imbibition.Drum priming- Seeds are hydrated by placing them in a rotating drum into which a cont rolled level of water vapor is released. Who Benefits From Seed Priming? Seed priming is most often used for high-value crop seeds, but the steeping process of hydropriming has been used in arid countries to help overcome soil deficiencies and improve crop production. The disadvantages to seed priming include the fact that primed seeds are difficult to store in some cases, as they need cool storage temperatures- not to mention the fact that the process is a sometimes time-consuming extra bit of effort. However, in most cases, seed can be primed overnight, surface-dried, and sown the very next day. In cases such as the one involving begonias, outlined at the beginning of this article, seed priming can be a necessary and even simple part of growing plants.

Arm Yourself With Funny Sarcastic Quotes to Make an Impact

Arm Yourself With Funny Sarcastic Quotes to Make an Impact We live in a sarcastic society. You find sarcasm everywhere. Newspaper headlines reek of sarcasm. Blog posts, status updates, and tweets are filled with sarcastic quotes. Sometimes, you hear a honeyed compliment from a not-so-good friend, only to realize later that you just got a jab of sarcasm.Sarcasm can be an underhand compliment, a snarky retort, or a curt jibe. People often use sarcasm to vent their unhappiness. Or to hurt others. Some sarcastic comments are so subtle that you wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a compliment and sarcasm.Many famous actors and writers are known for sarcasm. Groucho Marx was admired and feared for his in-your-face comebacks. His words hardly ever missed the mark, and often kept inflated egos in check. Mark Twain was especially famous for his witty sarcasms. He earned quite a reputation for his tongue-in-cheek jabs at educational institutions, and even religion and death. Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde were also infamous for their famous putdowns. Sometimes you need to put people in their place. Especially those Internet trolls, who have the I-can-write-whatever-I-want attitude. When logical debates and arguments lose their sheen, you can resort to sarcasm. If you want to use sarcasm to end a pointless argument or to cut down a narcissist to size, use these funny sarcastic quotes. With a biting retort, you can have the last word, and the last laugh. Half the world is composed of idiots, the other half of people clever enough to take indecent advantage of them. - Walter Kerr I am so clever that sometimes I dont understand a single word of what I am saying. Oscar Wilde I guess I just prefer to see the dark side of things. The glass is always half empty. And cracked. And I just cut my lip on it. And chipped a tooth. Janeane Garofalo A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well-known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. Fred Allen A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him. Sir Winston Churchill After all, what is your hosts purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, theyd have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi. P. J. ORourke Asking politicians to give up a source of money is like asking Dracula to forsake blood. Cal Thomas I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect. Oscar Wilde Dont look back - something might be gaining on you. Satchel Paige Don’t be so humble - you are not that great. Golda Meir Government is like junior high. Your status depends upon whom youre able to persecute. Jonathan Kellerman Have no fear of perfection - youll never reach it. Salvador Dali I am not a vegetarian because I love animals. I am a vegetarian because I hate plants. A. Whitney Brown I dont mind going back to daylight saving time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing Ive saved all year. Victor Borge I have met a lot of hardboiled eggs in my time, but youre twenty minutes. Oscar Wilde I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress. Ronald Reagan I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. Fred Allen Im all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Lets start with typewriters. Frank Lloyd Wright If youre going to tell people the truth, be funny or theyll kill you. Billy Wilder It is better to be thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Mark Twain Just because nobody complains doesnt mean all parachutes are perfect. Benny Hill Maybe this world is another planets Hell. Aldous Huxley Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike. Oscar Wilde My mothers menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it. Buddy Hackett One of the hardest things to imagine is that you are not smarter than average. Jonathan Fuerbringer Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and Im not sure about the former. Albert Einstein