Abstract

The idea tested was the restriction of water uptake as a means of influencing the germination rate of the coated seed. This led to the choice of an acrylic plastic polymer to be used as coating material. Assembled spinning disc equipment was used for coating the seeds. The germination tests of the coated seeds were performed in Petri dishes in a randomized complete blocks design with five replications. With increasing coating times in different polymer concentration, there was a decrease in germination rates in the first 5 days to at least 5%. It is concluded that two times application of 150 g/l acrylic plastic polymer in alcohol was the best treatment for delay of safflower germination in controlled conditions.

Key words: Delayed germination, hydrophobic polymers, safflower.