Problems with using mean germination time to calculate rate of seed germination
Elias Soltani A E , Farshid Ghaderi-Far B , Carol C. Baskin C D and Jerry M. Baskin C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Sciences, College of Abourahian, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
B Department of Agronomy, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan 49138-15739, Iran.
C Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
D Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
E Corresponding author. Email: elias.soltani@ut.ac.ir
Australian Journal of Botany 63(8) 631-635 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT15133
Submitted: 10 June 2015 Accepted: 2 September 2015 Published: 30 November 2015
Abstract
Seed scientists and other plant biologists are interested in the measurement of germination because seeds from different individuals, populations, seed lots and treatments can differ in germination percentages, rate (speed) and uniformity. Mean time to germination (MGT) is a measure of the rate and time-spread of germination; however, there is a problem with using this method to calculate germination rate. MGT does not show the time from the start of imbibition to a specific germination percentage. MGT has been used to compare specific pairs or groups of means and to evaluate seed vigour. However, it is not the real time to mean germination but just an index of germination speed. Using MGT is not correct for ANOVA, post-ANOVA or the other comparison tests, because it does not show time to a specific germination percentage. Thus, we recommend that t50 be used instead of MGT. The t50 has all benefits of MGT, but it does not have the problems of MGT in treatment comparisons.
Additional keywords: germination measurement, germination rate, seed dormancy loss rate, seed vigour test.
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