Before sowing vegetable seedlings, many vegetable growers need to decide how to test cucumber seeds for germination. This is especially true for seed prepared independently.
At manufacturing companies, experienced seed breeders are engaged in growing and selecting seeds.
Seed material in industrial conditions:
- calibrate;
- warm up;
- treated with fungicides;
- soaked in growth stimulants.
Therefore, purchased seeds usually do not require pre-sowing preparation and testing for germination, but are quite expensive.If the variety of cucumbers you like is not a hybrid (there was no F1 marking on the package), then it is not at all difficult to collect seed material at home. But before planting it will have to be checked for germination. Especially if you are not sure about the storage conditions.
Seed rejection
Germination rate is the percentage of healthy seed in one batch that produces well-developed seedlings.
Before checking cucumber seeds for germination, you can discard empty seeds in water. They are not able to produce normal shoots.
To do this, the seed is poured in small portions with warm water and allowed to stand for 8-10 minutes. Lightweight seeds with insufficient germination energy will float to the surface. They are not suitable for growing healthy plants and are discarded.
The seeds remaining at the bottom are dried and sorted. All of them should be approximately the same size and color, it is better to remove the smallest ones too.
Storage and germination
Important!
It is not recommended to plant cucumber seeds the next year, since post-harvest ripening of the seed of this crop lasts 2-3 years.
Also, during this time, some pathogenic organisms die in the seeds, for example, the cucumber mosaic virus. Plants grown from annual seed have worse branching and form predominantly “male” inflorescences. In a dry, warm place, cucumber seed remains viable for up to 6-8 years. But after the fourth year of storage, it is necessary to check the seeds for germination, since the germination energy will gradually decrease.
If you store seed in a damp and cold place, then there is a risk of growing plants with long vines and predominantly male flowering.
After cucumber seeds have been in poor conditions for a long time, they need to be smelled. The smell should be free of musty and rancid impurities. Since this is a sign of the development of pathogenic bacteria and fungi in the seeds.
Germination test
There are several ways to test for germination:
- germination in filter paper;
- germination in sawdust;
- germination in a paper roll.
Germination in paper
Several layers of filter paper are moistened with warm water and the seeds are laid out at a short distance from each other. All seed material must be counted in order to make calculations later. Cover the top with another layer of paper and place in a warm place with a temperature of 26-27 ℃. Several times a day, trays with paper are checked and dried napkins are moistened.
In 3-4 days the first shoots of cucumbers will appear. These seeds had the greatest germination energy. Sprinting sprouts will produce the healthiest and most productive bushes. Therefore, manufacturing companies pay attention to determining germination energy and characterize varieties in the description by the indicator of friendliness and germination rate. Germination energy is equal to the percentage of sprouted cucumbers in the first 3-4 days to the total amount of seed.
After 6-7 days, all living seeds should sprout. The number of healthy shoots is counted and the percentage of the total number of seeds is calculated. Planting cucumbers with a germination rate of less than 60% is considered unprofitable.
Even if after 7 days there are some that have hatched among the seeds that have not sprouted, they are not counted and are discarded. The longer the seed remains ungerminated in the soil, the more negative factors they are exposed to.
Germination in sawdust
Before checking the germination of seeds, the sawdust is steamed with boiling water. Then a layer of 5-6 cm is poured into the box. The counted cucumbers are laid out at a distance of 1-2 cm. 2-3 cm of steamed sawdust is poured on top and compacted. The box can be covered with a transparent film to protect it from drying out.
The box is placed in a warm, bright place at 25-26 ℃. Cucumbers will germinate in the dark, but it has been noticed that in a bright place the shoots appear earlier and are healthier. Further calculations are carried out in the same way as in the paper method.
Germination in paper roll
Two layers of porous loose paper measuring 10x100 cm are moistened with water. Step back 2-3 cm from the top edge and lay out the seed in a line at a distance of 1.5-2 cm with the embryos down. Then cover with the same third layer of paper and roll it into a loose roll, which is placed vertically in a suitable container.
Germination of cucumbers should take place in a bright and warm place. The paper is moistened as it dries. After 7 days, the roll is carefully unrolled, healthy sprouts are counted and the percentage of germination is calculated.
Warming and treatment with growth stimulants
Before determining the germination of seeds, they can be prepared. Warming up the seed and treating it with growth stimulants increases germination energy, accelerates the growth of vegetative mass, and improves the development of the root system of future plants. Purchased cucumbers usually undergo preliminary preparation in production.
There are two types of heating of seed material:
- dry heating;
- warming up in water.
The first method is needed primarily for “young” seeds collected last year.
Advice!
Dry heating in a linen bag on a radiator at a temperature of 50-60℃ for a month allows you to deceive nature and start the “aging” process.
Warming in warm water at 50-60℃ for 30 minutes before sowing allows cucumbers to awaken faster and is useful for increasing germination energy and germination.
The following chemicals and vitamins are known for treating seed before sowing (per 100 ml of water):
- sodium humate - 10-20 mg;
- succinic acid - 0.4 mg;
- heteroauxin - 50 mg;
- nicotinic acid - 10 mg;
- thiamine - 10 mg.
The volume of solution should be 2 times the volume of seeds, temperature 17-18℃. The seed is soaked for 6-12 hours, then washed well and dried.
