Thermal requirement for germination and seedling growth of wheat
PC Addae and CJ Pearson
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
43(3) 585 - 594
Published: 1992
Abstract
Two cultivars of wheat, Hartog (a spring type) and Rosella (winter) were sown at 2, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20 and 25¦C on porous sand medium held at constant soil matric potential. The thermal times required for germination, onset of coleoptile elongation and emergence were similar, 27, 35 and 130¦C days respectively, for the two cultivars over the temperature range of 2-25¦C. By extrapolation, the base temperature for germination and coleoptile elongation was 1¦C and for emergence 0.4¦C. The rate of seedling elongation and emergence of both cultivars increased linearly with temperature between 5 and 25¦C. Final percentage germination, final coleoptile length and total emergence of both cultivars were independent of temperature between 8 and 25¦C but were smaller at 2¦C. Differences between the two cultivars were confined to response to low temperature (2OC) during germination and to high temperature (25¦C) during coleoptile elongation.Keywords: temperature; Triticum aestivum; thermal time; imbibition; coleoptile; roots; emergence
https://doi.org/10.1071/AR9920585
© CSIRO 1992