PINTO, Hasmaye Marie M.

HORT 20 09-25-19

PRE-SOWING PROCEDURES IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

RESULTS
Table 1. Percent germination of pechay after one week
TREATMENT No. of germinated Percent germination Percent difference
seeds (n=150)
Fluid drilled 116 77.33 22.66
Normal 118 78.66 21.33

DISCUSSION
Fluid drilling involves seed germination in controlled optimum environmental conditions
in which uncontrollable factors in the field environment that affect seed germination can be
eliminated or inhibited by the sowing of pre-germinated seeds in a protective fluid carrier (Salter,
1978). In fluid drilling, pre-germinated seeds are mixed with gel type medium for protection and
for uniform distribution. Last September 11, 2019, the class of HORT 20 AB-1L, sowed 150 seeds
of pechay (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) through normal germination and fluid drilling in the
University of the Philippines Los Baños Vegetable Farm.
Results obtained were shown in Table 1 and after one week of observation, the normal
germinated seed had a higher percent germination than the fluid drilled seeds. 118 out of the 150
seeds (78.66% germination rate) germinated for the normal treatment while the fluid drilled had
116 out of 150 (77.33%).
An experiment by Chrimes and Gray (1982) in glasshouse lettuce has proven that sowing
pre-germinated seeds can give a 1% - 3% higher seedling emergence than from dry seeds. Finch-
Savage (1986), on the other hand, reported beneficial effects of fluid drilled seeds of carrot with
mulching treatment.
In the experiment done by the students, the pregerminated seeds that were fluid drilled are
supposed to have a higher germination rate than the dry or normal seeds, however, the recorded
results were otherwise. Water is predominantly involved in the life cycle of seeds and is the first
step toward germination (Taylor et al., 1992) so it is logical that hydrated seeds under controlled
conditions before sowing would have improve rate of germination. However, the normal treated
seeds had a higher germination rate than the fluid drilled seeds by 1.33%.
Optimum conditions for higher seed germination may not have been met by the
pregerminated seeds because it exhibited an almost same germination rate with that of the normally
treated seeds. The experiment proves that even if the seeds were fluid drilled, it is not a guarantee
for higher germination and other germination factors should be considered. Additionally, the pre-
germination of seeds for the fluid drilled treatment may not have been done properly. It is
recommended that the pechay seeds for fluid drilling be pre-germinated longer.

REFERENCES:
Chrimes, J.R. & GRAY, D. (1982). Comparisons of the use of pre-germinated, dry and
pelleted seeds for block-raising of glasshouse lettuce. Scientia Horticulturae - SCI HORT-
AMSTERDAM. 17. 15-25. 10.1016/0304-4238(82)90057-7.
FINCH-SAVAGE, W. E. (1986). The effects of fluid drilling and seed covering medium
on early carrot production under polyethylene mulch. Annals of Applied Biology, 108(2), 431–
439. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.1986.tb07666.x
Salter, P.J. (1978). FLUID DRILLING OF PRE-GERMINATED SEEDS: PROGRESS AND
POSSIBILITIES. Acta Hortic. 83, 245-250 DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.83.32
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.83.32

Taylor, A. G, Prusinski, J., Hill, H. J., and Dickson, M.D., (1992). Influence of Seed
Hydration on Seedling Performance. Retrieved from:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/927f/24a69f2863898f4fd9861fd57c522f44d757.pdf
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. List down at least three limitations and three advantages of fluid drilling as a method of
sowing seeds.
Advantages:
 Experiments suggest higher germination rate and seedling emergence in fluid
drilled seeds
 Earlier harvest is also expected in pre-germinated seedlings
 The seedlings are protected from uncontrollable environmental factors
Limitations:
 More laborious than normal germination because it requires days of pre-
germination of seeds
 Optimum conditions are needed for pre-germination
 Dry sowing are more popular to Filipino farmers

2. Where do you expect to observe early and high percentage of flowering, in vernalized or
non-vernalized seeds and seedlings? Why?
The vernalized seeds and seedlings will have a higher percentage of flowering and earlier
flowering than the non-vernalized seeds because it shortens the plants’ vegetative phase and
hastens flowering in plants.