A good way to get high-quality, proven seed material is to collect seeds from your own plot. This method is practiced for almost all types of crops, especially for those that produce seeds in the year of sowing. First of all, you should know which plants produce seeds and when. Among vegetable crops, there are plants of different types of biological development: spring annual crops bloom and produce seeds in the year of sowing, while winter biennial vegetable crops that form a root crop or head of cabbage bloom and, therefore, produce seeds only in the second year of life.
Seeds annual crops, formed in the year of sowing, should be collected fully ripe, which is determined by the change in their color or the type of fruit in which they are enclosed. Sometimes this cannot be done due to seed shedding, as is the case with the umbrella inflorescences of dill, caraway and seed pods of some types of flowers. Then the family
Collection of seed material
1 . A plant distinguished by the required qualities is marked with a ribbon even before the formation of seeds.
2. Ripe seeds are collected in dry sunny
day, unripe seeds are left in special cases
for ripening.
3. The seeds are removed from the fruit or threshed,
dried, scattered into bags, which
labeled and stored until spring sowing
in a cool dry place
They are collected unripe and left for ripening, during which they acquire taste, color and all the qualities characteristic of ripe fruits, after which they are threshed. Mature seeds are stored in a dark, dry place until next year and used for spring sowing.
Flowering, pollination, fertilization and seed formation of biennial crops occur in the second year after sowing. Therefore, to obtain seeds of these crops, it is necessary to collect mother plants and store them in a cool place in winter; in spring, select well-preserved specimens with developed buds and shoots and plant them in a garden bed where seed development continues; they form stems with inflorescences, bloom and, after pollination, form seeds. In the conditions of the middle zone, medium-sized root crops of carrots, parsley, turnips, rutabaga do not freeze and, with a sufficient level of snow, successfully winter in the ground. Root crops that have overwintered in the ground begin to bloom early and produce high-quality viable seeds by the end of July-beginning of August. Seeds should be collected from the strongest plants. To prepare high-quality seed material, the most productive, decorative or outstanding plants should be marked in advance with a ribbon and, after the seeds have ripened, collected from these plants. The seeds are collected on a dry day and left to dry completely on paper. After this, they are laid out in paper bags, labeled and stored in a dry, dark place; the most favorable temperature for storing seeds is 10-15 ° C.
The same applies to collecting seeds of fruit vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and others. They are removed from fully ripened fruits, dried, poured into a paper bag and stored in a cool, dry place.
Seed material must meet the standard for sowing qualities, the most important of which is the ability to germinate or germination. Seed germination is understood as their ability to produce normal viable sprouts at temperature, humidity and other conditions characteristic of a particular crop. The germination of seed is determined by the number of seeds that germinate under certain conditions over a given period of time and is expressed as a percentage of the number of seeds taken for control. The degree of germination is determined by the energy of seed germination. The ability to germinate can be significantly reduced as the seeds age or as a result of improper storage conditions, and then we are talking about seed material with low germination energy. Such seeds, when growing conditions deteriorate, produce late and unfriendly shoots or do not sprout at all. Determination of seed germination within 5-
7 days before spring sowing allows you to adjust the seeding rate, and if germination is reduced, it should be increased.
The sown seeds did not germinate - possible reasons,
Seeds of poor quality, many of them were underdeveloped
For some reason the seeds did not go through the dormant period
The seeds were affected by disease before sowing or became diseased after sowing
Seeds damaged or destroyed by pests
S The depth of planting of small seeds is too large; they do not have enough light and strength to break through the thickness of the soil
" Light-germinating seeds were covered with soil, which contradicts their biological nature
Incorrect sowing time selected
The seeds were overdried during the winter
There was no sufficient moisture of the seeds after sowing during the period of their germination
Siltation of the soil at the sowing site negatively affects seed germination
Lesson 7. Agricultural work. Plants.
Product: “Obtaining and drying seeds.”
Lesson objectives: show the importance of plants for humans, introduce the parts of plants (root, stem, leaves), develop the skills of obtaining and drying seeds, cultivate interest and respect for human work, teach how to draw up a work plan using slides; develop skills in working with a plastic knife, foster accuracy, independence, learn to compare plans presented in the textbook.
Planned results:
Subject:
understand the meaning of plants for humans, identify the main parts of plants: root, stem, leaves.
Personal: formation of a positive attitude towards work.
Regulatory: plan your activities.
Cognitive: carry out practical work on extracting and drying seeds; search and selection of necessary information from illustrative material.
Communicative: formulate answers to questions based on reading a piece of text.
Basic terms and concepts: agriculture.
Resources and equipment.
From the teacher: textbook, materials for demonstration: illustrative series depicting various plants; photographs of decorative compositions of flowers (photos, nature), medicinal preparations, seeds of some plants (potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers), diagram “Parts of plants”, materials, tools for completing the task: 1 pepper, spoon, lid, colored pencils, sheet of paper, envelope.
For students: textbook, 1 pepper, spoon, lid, colored pencils, sheet of paper, envelope, plastic (disposable) knife..
Lesson progress:
Introductory part(10 min.).
The lesson begins with a discussion of the topic of the previous lesson, with a demonstration of products made by children at home. What materials were used for the work? What connection method did you use?
Teacher: “Today we will talk about plants. What do you think life on Earth would be like without plants? (students express their guesses). Life on Earth would be impossible without plants. Plants are a source of food and oxygen for all living organisms on the planet. What plants do you know? What are “plants”?”
Students try to find the answer to this question by looking at illustrations and photographs suggested by the teacher. The photographs can show various plants in a meadow, in a garden, in a city, on a window in an apartment, in a swamp, in water, in a forest, etc. What does a plant need to grow?
The teacher concludes that a plant is a whole organism that receives nutrition from the air and soil. There are aquatic, forest, field, marsh, cultural, medicinal, garden, indoor, etc. plants. That is, the name depends on the place of growth and purpose.
Teacher: “Let’s open the textbook on page 24. Read the dialogue between Vanya and Anya.”
After reading the text, the teacher asks comprehension questions. Students then answer the teacher’s questions based on the information they just read. Suggested student answers are provided in parentheses.
How do people use flowers? (for beauty). What exactly can be done? (bouquets, compositions). The teacher can demonstrate flower compositions (image, natural compositions). What are they made from fruits? What juices do you like? You can roll up compotes for the winter. How are cereals used? What are they made from vegetables?
Let's check ourselves. The teacher suggests completing the task on page 24. Students look at the photographs and answer what else plants are needed for.
Various herbs are collected into various medicinal mixtures; they are drunk for colds, when the stomach hurts, some herbs can be brewed and added to the bath. They collect chamomile, string, St. John's wort, etc. Here the teacher can demonstrate sachets of medicine.
Delicious jam is made from the berries. What kind of jam do you like? Not only is jam a very tasty delicacy, but it can also be useful, for example, raspberry jam is drunk when you have a cold.
Man uses wood to make furniture. And how, remember, when we went on an excursion to the forest, we talked about this. This includes construction, paper making, toys, etc.
We can conclude that plants are very necessary in our lives, so they need to be protected and protected.
Teacher: “Growing plants is related to agriculture. Are you familiar with this concept? What is it? Agriculture is the cultivation of land for the purpose of growing agricultural plants.”
Teacher: “Let’s open the textbook on page 25 and read the dialogue between Anya and Vanya.” After discussing the information they have read, students answer questions from the teacher. How can you grow a new plant? How should you care for plants? What plant care processes are shown in the photographs? (watering, plowing).
Let's look at the seeds of some plants. Students look at the seeds demonstrated by the teacher.
Potatoes - we plant the tubers ourselves in the spring and harvest them in the fall.
There are vegetables for which it is necessary to plant seedlings in the spring; they will produce sprouts that are planted in the ground, in the summer the beds are weeded, watered and during the summer, in the fall they are harvested - these are tomatoes, cucumbers (the teacher demonstrates plant seeds).
Some plants are planted directly into the garden bed - for example, carrots.
But there is also one very interesting fact - we use different parts of plants for different plants, there is even a fairy tale “The Man and the Bear” in which the main characters shared the tops and roots.” Students retell the content.
In this fairy tale, a man was planting seeds in the forest, and a bear came to the man to take away part of the harvest. In the first year, the man planted turnips, and here the man outwitted the bear by giving him the tops, because the most delicious thing about a turnip is the roots. The next year the man planted rye. This time, the bear decided, the man would not deceive him, and chose the roots, but no matter how hard the bear tried, he could not do anything with the roots. What do you think the man did with the rye?
For each plant, we can highlight its individual parts - these are the root, stem, leaves (the teacher can show the parts using an example of a plant, as well as on a diagram).
Students themselves try to isolate from various plants.
Product analysis. Working with a plan.(5-7 min.)
Teacher: “Let’s read in the textbook on page 25 what Anya suggests we do (collect pepper seeds to germinate and plant them in the spring to grow a crop).
Let’s open the textbook on page 26. To begin with, as usual, let’s pay attention to the signs of complexity and time costs.”
Students note that one weight is shown - this means that the task is very easy, and one hour - this means that we can complete it in less than a lesson.
Since the task is very easy, the teacher can invite students to complete the task independently, having previously discussed in detail the plan for its implementation.
Teacher: “What goal will we set for ourselves in practical work? (get pepper seeds for further planting). What do we need for work? Look at the slides. (pepper, plastic knife, spoon, envelope, lid, colored pencils). Let's try to draw up a work plan using the slides, what needs to be done first, what then? (organize a workplace, divide the pepper in half, remove the seeds, put it in a lid, pour it into an envelope) - the teacher writes down the work plan drawn up by the students on the board.”
1. Organize your workplace. Let's check again on slide No. 1 whether we have prepared all the materials and tools.
Do we have such a point on the board?
2. Divide the pepper in half.
Let's look at slide No. 2, what kind of pepper should you get after dividing? With which we will separate the pepper (using a plastic knife). We divide it by placing it on the table, carefully cutting it approximately in the middle (the teacher demonstrates this operation).
3. Use a spoon to remove the seeds from the fruit.
Where you need to pour the seeds, how to do it, let's look at slide No. 3.
4. Place the seeds on the lid and place them on the windowsill to dry. Write your name on a piece of paper and put it under the lid.
Look at the slide how Anya did it.
5. When the seeds are dry, pour them into an envelope where they will be stored until spring, and in the spring you can grow seedlings from these seeds.
The fifth slide already shows what to do with the seeds when they dry. These operations can be performed during extracurricular activities. You need to put the seeds in an envelope. They will be stored until spring, in the spring it will be possible to plant seedlings.
To make it clear what seeds are in the envelope, let’s draw a pepper on it, the kind we would like to grow.
The teacher can invite students to glue the envelope themselves.
Manufacturing of the product. (15-20 min.)
As mentioned above, the teacher can ask students to complete the task on their own, since it is quite easy. While working, students can ask the teacher questions, provide assistance if necessary, correct the work, and if necessary, the teacher can show some steps to complete the task.
Let's summarize.(3-5 min.)
Summing up, the teacher conducts a conversation about the material studied in the lesson. What role do plants play in our lives? How do plants help humans? What is farming?
There is also a discussion about completing the task, how easy it was and whether there was enough time.
The electronic supplement to this lesson includes 3 sections: “New material”, “Video”, “Do it yourself”.
To compare and check the product manufacturing plan, as well as the organization of the workplace, you need to go to the “Do it yourself” section.
The “Video” section will help the children do practical work on extracting and drying seeds, and will show how to design a bag for their further storage.
You can only have it from full-fledged, normally developed fruits. The fruits of pome and multi-fruited stone fruits (peach, apricot, plum) are harvested at the stage of harvest ripeness. Carrion is not used for collecting seeds. The fruits of cherries, Antipka, and cherry plums are removed when they turn brown. The harvested apple, pear, and quince crops are kept for some time to allow the seeds to ripen. Stone fruit seeds are harvested immediately after harvesting the fruits. All seed procurement operations (from harvesting fruits to sowing seeds) should be carried out separately for each form of rootstock. The number of fruits harvested depends on the need for seeds. At the same time, the norms of its yield for various rootstocks are taken into account.
Before removing the seeds, the fruits of pome and small-fruited stone fruits are washed, crushed in crushers, and the juice is squeezed out using a press. Seeds are removed from the pulp using a dry or wet method. When using the dry method, the pulp is dried, and then the seeds are separated on winnowing machines with sieves having different holes. With the wet method, the pulp is washed immediately from the press on sieves with holes of different diameters. The seeds are sown at the bottom, and the pulp remains on the sieve or bleeds out. The pulp must be washed immediately, because it begins to ferment, warm up, and the seeds at temperatures above 35 ° C begin to lose viability.
It should be noted that with this technology, in particular when crushing fruits in crushers, the seeds are injured, which reduces their viability. That is why in some farms seeds are removed from apples using a Volgar-5 feed chopper and a separator. The coarsely crushed fruits and part of the seeds enter the separator, where it is completely separated from the fruits and sifted into a tray with water. At the Mlievskaya Horticulture Experimental Station, apple seeds are extracted using a specially designed cylindrical finger machine.
The fruits of some plants are plucked, while others are shaken off onto a specially spread tarpaulin (antipka, hazel). In this case, you need to wait until full maturity. Vibrating machines can be successfully used to collect fruits from a number of tree species (cherry and antipka).
Western thuja seeds are removed by shaking them onto a tarpaulin.
However, this work is best done in the afternoon in sunny, dry, not too windy weather, when the cones are most open. The seeds are almost pure, and there is no need to remove them from the cones.
Harvesting sea buckthorn fruits presents particular difficulties. When harvested, they are cut off with short shoots, and later the fruits are scraped from these shoots. When transporting fruits with fleshy pericarp, severe overheating should not be allowed.
To obtain seeds with high germination rates, careful preparation is required in a number of breeds.
Thus, caragana seeds for sowing must be cleared of pods. For juicy, fleshy fruits, the seeds are washed to prevent them from fermenting during storage or stratification. In sea buckthorn fruits, the fleshy pericarp contains substances that inhibit germination. During stratification, the pericarp slowly decomposes, resulting in uneven and weak germination. The pericarp of apples contains ethylene, which also delays germination. In addition, it prevents the germination of seeds in the fruit.
Under natural conditions, the seed in many cases passes through the stomach of animals, where it is separated from the pulp of the fruit. In harvested seeds, the fruit pulp is separated by washing.
Less juicy fruits of redwood, cotoneaster, barberry, hawthorn and serviceberry are also often washed. Washed seeds are sown more evenly, resulting in a better distribution of plants over the area. Seed germination is also more friendly. During stratification of unwashed fruits, the pericarp pulp decomposes unevenly.
If large quantities of seeds or fruits are involved, cleaning should be done by machine if possible.
For seeds of stone fruits (dogwood, all types of plums), small grinding machines are suitable, which are similar to those used in industrial processing of fruits. These machines operate on the principle of a centrifuge. They separate the fruit pulp from the seeds and separate them.
Not all types of machines are suitable for seeds contained in soft fruits (sea buckthorn and buckthorn). The design and speed of the centrifuge blades are decisive.
Fruits containing small seeds (sea buckthorn, cotoneaster, barberry, actinidia, buckthorn, elderberry) are more profitable to separate using quick-mixing devices (for example, electric mixers). The fruits are placed in a vessel with a small amount of water, where they will be destroyed in the shortest possible time by a stirring head rotating at a high number of revolutions. The resulting slurry should be stirred 2-3 times in a large amount of water and drained to obtain fairly clean seeds. At the same time, underdeveloped seeds are also removed.
Small quantities can be washed by hand, but it is important to grind or crush the fruit well first. The pulp and underdeveloped seeds are washed out with water. Light rotting or fermentation of the fruits facilitates the cleaning process, but the fruits should not be allowed to ferment at high temperatures, as germination will be reduced. The loss of germination of black elderberry seeds is mostly due to such errors.
The seeds of some conifer species are released from the cones by desiccation or drying. Under the influence of heat, the scales of the cones open and the seeds are released. In the simplest case, this happens in boxes or baskets that are placed under heating pipes in greenhouses or under other heating devices. A gradual increase in temperature works well, but it should not rise above 40° C, otherwise damage may occur. When the cones are shaken vigorously, the seeds fall out.
Harvesting fruit seeds is not a difficult job, it is only important to organize it correctly. Trees from which seeds are harvested must be identified in advance, and for this purpose the best specimens should be selected based on general condition, yield, frost resistance and resistance to pests and diseases.
When using wild growing areas, it is necessary to clear them of excessive thickening trees and shrubs, remove all specimens unsuitable for seed harvesting, and conduct an inventory of trees divided into three groups by ripening time (early, middle and late), so that seed harvesting can be carried out separately for each group. In addition to this, special mother-seed plantings of the best varieties of rootstocks and, above all, those that do not grow naturally in a given area should be created directly at nurseries.
Garden protection strips from wild apple trees can be used to create queen-seed plantings.
Now the protective belt of wild apple trees is complemented by other tall tree species.
For harvesting seeds, only completely ripe fruits can be used; It is best to collect such fruits when they begin to fall. The collected fruits of pome-bearing species are poured for ripening in an open place into heaps or piles 40-50 cm high and up to 3 m wide. The fruits dumped in this way can lie for up to two weeks, after which they are processed. Heaps and piles must be carefully monitored; If the fruits are warm, they are shoveled. Before processing, the fruits must be thoroughly washed to ensure they are clean.
From 1 ton of wild apple or pear fruits, 8-10 kg of seeds are obtained. If seeds are obtained from cultivated varieties, then much more fruit (by weight) will be required to obtain them in the same quantity. Therefore, when obtaining seeds in large quantities, it is necessary to organize the matter so that the pulp and juice of the fruit do not disappear, but are used (processed) accordingly.
There are two ways to process pome fruits - hot and cold. Seeds obtained from hot-processed fruits are not suitable for sowing, since their embryos lose viability due to high temperature. Therefore, fruits from which seeds are extracted for sowing must be processed in a cold way.
If seeds are extracted from fruits on the farm itself, it is necessary to use special fruit crushers, which finely crush the fruits. From the resulting mass, you can press the juice for the production of drinks. After drying the pressed pulp, seeds are isolated from it.
Seeds can be isolated using the dry method and washing. With the dry method, after pressing, the pulp is scattered for drying on tarpaulins or burlap in a layer no thicker than 8-10 cm and mixed regularly. You need to scatter the pulp with seeds in the shade, in the open air or in dryers. When the pulp dries, it is passed through winnowers or grain sorters.
To separate seeds from pulp by washing, special troughs are most often used, having wire sieves along the entire length with corresponding holes. For the first washing, these holes should be 8 X 8 mm in size (to separate large particles of pulp), and for the second - 3 X 3 mm (to separate small particles of pulp from seeds). The troughs are filled with water 15-20 cm above the sieve; The pulp is placed on a sieve and distilled with wooden shovels from end to end.
The seeds separated from the pulp must be dried and sifted. You should never put pulp with seeds in large piles, otherwise it will quickly warm up, as a result of which the seeds largely lose their viability (germination). When separating seeds by washing the pulp, even in small piles, it should not be kept for more than 2-3 hours.
For drying, seeds are scattered in a thin layer (up to 0.5 cm) on tarpaulins, in the shade or under a canopy; at the same time, they need to be mixed 2-3 times a day with a wooden rake or hands.
You can also use fire drying, but in this case you need to strictly ensure that the temperature in the dryers is kept within 30-35°; At higher temperatures, seed germination sharply decreases.
Stone fruit seeds are obtained through technical processing using a cold method. Under no circumstances should you leave the seeds in the pulp for more than a day and allow the pulp to ferment. The seeds should be dried at a temperature not exceeding 20-25° and always in the shade. When dried in the sun, the seeds crack and subsequently rot easily.
From large stone fruits (plum, peach, apricot), seeds are usually prepared by hand; The fruits are broken or cut and the seeds are removed. The seeds are separated from the remaining pulp on the same day.
Seed material for pome crops must meet the following requirements. Good seeds should be full-bodied, dense, with a fresh, shiny shell; apple seeds are light brown, and pear seeds are almost black. Both should be evenly colored, full and pleasant to the taste. The color of the kernel in fresh seeds is white, while in old (spoiled) seeds it is yellowish. When struck by something hard, fresh seeds are flattened, while old ones crumble. A musty smell, mold, unpleasant taste - all these are signs of poor quality seeds.
One of the most important requirements for seed quality is their good viability (germination). Seeds of pome and stone fruits, in terms of their sowing qualities, must satisfy the following technical conditions.
Seeds that do not meet the requirements of the second class are not allowed to be sown.
Harvested seeds of pome species are stored in a cool, dry room. Experiments have shown that with proper storage, fruit seeds can maintain high germination rates for 2-3 years.
Seeds should be stored in dry rooms with a relative humidity of 50-70%. The most favorable conditions for this are dry room conditions with a constant temperature and low humidity. Premises with relative air humidity above 75%, as well as attics, barns and ordinary warehouses where moist air freely penetrates, are unsuitable for storing seeds. In order for the moisture content of the seeds to remain constantly low (fluctuations in it lead to their spoilage), they must be protected from the influx of outside air.
Before storing seeds for storage, the room must be cleaned and disinfected. Substances that absorb moisture (salt, saltpeter, and others), as well as toxic chemicals, gasoline and kerosene, should not be stored in the same room with seeds. Seeds should not be placed on cement, asphalt, stone or dirt floors; This causes the seeds to become damp and lose their viability.
Seeds of stone fruits for storage should be placed in bags or wooden boxes, and seeds of pome trees (apple and pear) - in bags or glass bottles. Bottles for storing apple and pear seeds are especially convenient if the relative humidity in the room fluctuates. In the latter case, the bottles are closed with stoppers equipped with calcium chloride tubes. Thanks to this, the air enters the bottle through the tubes already dried. As the calcium chloride in the tubes becomes moist, it must be replaced with dry one.
Before filling seeds for long-term storage, it is necessary to determine their economic suitability. Seeds that are substandard in terms of germination are not suitable for long-term storage. During storage of seeds, you must constantly ensure that their humidity does not increase and that mold does not appear on them. When the moisture content of the seeds increases, they must be dried. In storages with fruit seeds, ventilation can only be used in dry weather.
Seeds stored during the winter in compliance with all the specified rules and sown in the spring will sprout only next year. This is explained by the fact that after harvesting fruit seeds must go through a period of so-called post-harvest ripening, until the end of which they do not germinate. Ripening refers to a number of internal processes that occur in seeds. The essence of these processes has not yet been sufficiently studied, but it is known that they are a necessary condition for seed germination.
Seed ripening can only occur with sufficient humidity, free access of air and a temperature of +3 to +7°. The duration of the seed ripening period varies among different types of fruit plants.
To create favorable conditions for seed ripening, a special technique called sanding or stratification is used. To do this, 1 part of the seeds is thoroughly mixed with 2-3 parts of sand. Stratified seeds are poured into boxes and stored in the basement or buried in the ground. When storing seeds in the basement, they are mixed several times during the winter, and the sand is kept moist. Seeds buried in the ground, apart from protecting them from damage by mice, do not require any care. But when the snow melts in the spring, the place where the seeds are buried must be covered with straw, otherwise they will germinate before they can be sown.
For large batches, the seeds are stratified in trenches. For trenches, choose a dry, elevated place in the shade. To avoid damage to seeds by mice, trenches should never be installed near residential buildings or straw stacks. The trenches should be surrounded by a ditch 55-60 cm deep and 40-60 cm wide, which serves to drain water and makes it difficult for mice to access the seeds. In winter, the ditch must be systematically cleared of snow. In addition, areas with trenches and the surrounding area must be baited against mice with poisoned baits. In the fall, you need to keep an eye on the seeds in the trenches so that they do not dry out or begin to mold and rot from excess moisture. For winter, the trenches are covered with a layer of earth of 25-30 cm.
Sanding of pomegrass seeds can be done from autumn until the end of January.
Stone fruit seeds easily lose their viability when they dry out, so they need to be stratified immediately after being removed from the fruit, regardless of when they are sown - in spring or autumn.
It is better to stratify stone fruit seeds in deep (about 60 cm) trenches.
Properly prepared stone fruit seeds should have a cracked stone by the time of spring sowing.
When stratifying seeds, it is necessary to provide favorable conditions for their ripening within the following periods:
At the end of stratification, the temperature from 3-7° C should be lowered to 0 + 1° to prevent their premature germination. To do this, seeds stratified in boxes are placed on glaciers or buried in snow, covering it with non-heat-conducting material (straw, sawdust, etc.). Trenches should also be covered with non-thermally conductive materials.
After stratification, the seeds should have the following germination rate (in percentage).
Seeds with a lower percentage of germination are not allowed to be sown.
Very often there is a need to determine the germination capacity of seeds even before stratification. In this case, trial germination of seeds cannot give any results, since they do not germinate without going through the ripening process. Therefore, we have to resort to other methods of determining germination. The most convenient of them is the indigo-carmine staining method. Before staining, the outer and inner shells of the seeds are removed, for which they are first soaked for 24 hours. The seeds, peeled from the shells, are immersed in an indigo-carmine solution (in a glass container) for 3 hours, after which the solution is poured out, and the seeds are washed with clean water and examined. Unviable seeds are colored blue, but good, viable seeds are not colored at all. Partially colored seeds should be considered unsuitable when determining the percentage of germination. To prepare a solution, take from 500 to 1000 parts of distilled water for 1 part of indigo carmine (depending on the quality of indigo carmine).
The staining method can also be used to determine the germination of stratified seeds.