The Effect of Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) and Heat Treatments on Seed Germination of Rice: An Approach to Restore Seed Viability

Abstract

Dormancy in rice serves as a mechanism of survival by protecting the seed from germinating in the mother plants; however, it becomes a problem in germination during sowing in soil or under in vitro conditions. This study was conducted to determine the effect of heat treatment and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) treatment of seeds on dormancy alleviation. The seeds included both freshly harvested seeds and one-year-old stored seeds, which were tested for germination after different types of seed treatments. Both the treatments increased the germination percentage in seeds, however, it was lesser in the case of old seeds. The best results were obtained from 2% NaOCl treatment for 24 hrs in new seeds, i.e. 92.84±0.103 % germination percentage (GP). However, the higher GP in old seeds were obtained from 48 hrs of heat-treated seeds i.e. 82.9±0.509 % GP. The results of the experiment revealed that rice seeds start to lose viability within a year due to seed dormancy, but this can be reversed with proper measures. These methods of breaking seed dormancy can be considered effective to break seed dormancy and improve seed germination in rice.