Moisture and humidity requirements for germination of surface seeded corn
Martin, D.L. | Thrailkill, D.J.
Surface seeding of crops has long been practiced with mixed results. Interest in this practice recently increased in irrigated agriculture with the development of an attachment for center pivot irrigation systems that applies seeds to the soil. This practice has been labeled seedigation. Mixed results have occurred from field experiments that were conducted to evaluate seedigation. A growth chamber study was conducted to determine the effect of relative humidity, soil water content, and irrigation frequency on the germination and establishment of surface seeded corn. The moisture content of corn seeds during imbibition and the germination rate were measured for seeds sown on a silty clay loam soil maintained at 15 and 25% gravimetric soil water contents. The experiments were conducted in growth chambers where the relative humidity was maintained at 70, 80, and 90% and the temperature at 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). The soil was rewetted either twice daily or every other day to study the effect of irrigation frequency. For the conditions studied, the relative humidity of the air had more effect on the seed moisture content and germination than either the soil water content or the frequency of watering. Germination rates exceeded 90% when the relative humidity was 90%. Germination rates were below 50% when the relative humidity dropped to 80% regardless of the soil water content. Increasing the soil water content from 15-25% improved germination rates and reduced the time required for germination. The frequency of watering had mixed results for these experiments, thus we were unable to show significant differences for watering frequency. The effects of watering frequency were smaller than effects for either humidity or soil water content.
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