THE EFFECT OF COLD WATER TREATMENT TIME ON SEED GERMINATION OF HARICOT BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.)

Abstract

Haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) differ in their low temperature tolerance regarding growth and yield. Varieties tolerant to low temperature during germination and carriers of the seed quality standards are needed for the success of the crop. Generally the present study was done on Haricot Bean (P. vulgaris L.) with the general objective to evaluate the effect of different cold water treatment time on haricot bean seed germination. This study was conducted at Wolkite University in the Plant science Laboratory class. A complete block design (CRD) four treatments with three replications was used. Twenty seeds of haricot bean were sown in sterile petri dish containers with moist under continues white light and dark temperature. Twenty seeds were placed per petridish uniformly and covered with lid to prevent loss of moisture through evaporation. The seeds were allowed to germinate for 10 days at room temperature. The germination percentage was recorded on the 10th day. Germination was considered to have occurred when radicles attained a length of 2 mm. The result showed that the time of cold water socking decreased mean germination time, increased shoot length and root length of haricot bean (P. vulgaris L.). Longer socking duration time in cold water has high influential power on the germination parameters of this crop.