Melons germinate poorly under sub- and supra optimum temperatures. Seed priming has potential to
improve the germination under wide range of conditions. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the
possibility of improving germination and enhancing seedling growth by osmopriming in melon. Seeds were
soaked in aerated 1, 2 and 3% solutions of KNO3 and CaCl2 for 24 h. Osmopriming in KNO3 performed
better than in CaCl2. Osmopriming in KNO3 solutions improved the germination rate and uniformity, and
early seedling growth, being the best with its lowest concentration. None of the priming treatments
improved seedling fresh weight, however, improvement in seedling dry weight was observed from seeds
osmoprimed with 1% KNO3 solution. Osmopriming in CaCl2 solutions performed similar to even inferior
than untreated seeds
M. Farooq, S.M.A. Basra, H. Rehman, N. Ahmad, B.A. Saleem. (2007) Osmopriming Improves The Germination And Early Seedling Growth Of Melons (Cucumis Melo L.), , Volume-44, Issue-3.
