"Science, Faculty of"@en . "Chemistry, Department of"@en . "DSpace"@en . "UBCV"@en . "Fleming, Richard Howell"@en . "2010-08-31T17:04:29Z"@en . "1931"@en . "Master of Arts - MA"@en . "University of British Columbia"@en . "[Abstract not available]"@en . "https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/28001?expand=metadata"@en . "THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN CHEMICALS ON GERMINATION AND DORMANCY IN WINTER WHEAT RICHARD HOwELL FLEMING, B. A. A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. APRIL 1931. CONTENTS. 1. INTRODUCTION. 1. 2. EXPERIMENTAL. 5. I. TREATMENT YiITH ETHYLENE CHLORHYDRIN. 6. CONCLUSIONS. S. II. TREATMENT WIT! THIOUREA, AMMONIUM THIOCYANATE AND POTASSIUM THIOCYANATE. 7. CONCLUSIONS. 7. III. EFFECT OF CHEMICALS ON DORMANT WINTER ./HEAT PLANTS . 0 . IV. RESPIRATION MEASUREMENTS, \u00C3\u00B3. SUMMARY. 9. 4. REFERENCES. 10. 1 . THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN CHEMICALS ON GERMINATION AND DORMANCY IN WINTER WHEAT. INTRODUCTION. The studies of F. E. Denny and his associates at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research on the effect of chemicals upon the dormancy of woody plants and potato tubers have led to a number of important developments. Johannsen (6) in 1896 showed that the dormancy of certain plants could be broken by chemical treatments and since that time other workers have found that a number of compounds could be used for this purpose.(6). Denny has made the most comprehensive study of this problem and has tried a large number of inorganic and organic compounds and from these has selected a few which are practicable from apoint of view of cost and results. Of the compounds tried ethylene chlorhydrin, thiourea, ammonium thiocyanate and potassium thiocyanate would appear to be the most valuable(5,5,9). Winter wheat undergoes a period of 'vegetative dormancy' which is similar though not entirely analagous to that found in potato tubers and certain woody plants. Winter wheat is usually planted in the late summer or early autumn, if conditions are favourable it germinates and developes into a characteristic 'rosette!, here it remains without further development until the warm weather of the following spring when the dormant stage is broken and growth is resumed. 2. This dormant stage is not the result of adverse environmental conditions because the same wheat even when planted in the spring becomes dormant and remains so until the next season when it will mature. The problem of shortening the time required for germination and early growth has also received considerable attention. This 3s of especial interest in wheat growing where the season is short and a fev/ days may mean the saving of a crop. Treatments which have been found to be effective are of various types. Tincke-.- (s) reports that soaking the oat grains accelerated seedling growth. Kunerati and Fawcett (9) showed that a low temperature and. alternate thawing and freezing had considerable effect on accelerating the germination of small seeds. However Jensen (9) noted little or no effect on subsequent growth after soa.king whea.t in water and freezing it before planting. Other physical methods which are not of practical value but which have been reported in the literature are those of Benedetti (2) who claims to ha.ve shown that treatment o^ soaked seed with high frequency oscillating electromagnetic fields caused an earlier and better germination, Hezzadrioli and Vareton (7) also report that they obtained an increased rate of germination and an enhanced catalase activity in seeds treated with ultrashort electromagnetic waves. Various chemicals have been sho^n to have a beneficial effect on germination. Kissling (9) using a large number of chemicals was able to increase the germination of wheat, 5. oats and barley. Becker (l) reports that the sulphates of potassium, lithium, magnesium and copper have an accelerating effect on germination and he also lists a number of organic compounds which have a similar effect. Reifenberg and Frankenthal (8) report that phosphate solutions under certain conditions have a beneficial effect. Zlataroff (lo) also reports certain chemicals that will hasten germination. It has also been reported that certain chemicals as ivell as stimulating the germination of the seed also increase the yield. Such results have been obtained, by Gleisberg, Silbert, and PopofT Smith and Bressman (9) made a study of the effect of various chemicals and of freezing on the germination and subsequent growth of va.rious varieties of wheat. The varieties chosen for the tests included three types of spring wheat, two of semi-winter and. eleven of winter wheat. It is from this account that most of the foregoing discussion was obtained. The chemicals tried. s.-/ere as follows. The methods of treatment are also indicated.. Trichloroethylene, \u00C2\u00A13 hours in a ^ per cent solution. Ethylene chloride, 3 \" tt tt 1 \" tt tt Ethylene chlorhydr3 n, 3 \" tt tt 8 \" tt tt Ethyl bromide, 3 \" tt tt 6 \" tt tt Ammonium thiocyanate, 3 \" tt tt 3 \" tt ft Potassium thiocyanate ,3 \" tt tt 1 \" tt tt Carbon bisulphide, 2 hours in ater and 1 hour in a 1 per cert solution. Germination tests wer^ made to determine the effect of hte chemicals on fertility and vigor. Outside clots were plan'-ed to find o t the effect of the chemicals <*m growth and dorn;_nc;, . As a result of their investigation they re^oi-t, \"Lone of the treatments proved to be either highly -stimulative to growth or 4 . a modifier of the growth habits of winter, semi-winter or spring wheats. Ammonium thiooyanate was definitely toxic. Soaking in water caused the grains to head from one to three days earlier that the unsoaked checks.\" As the results of Denny's investigation showed that individual treatments were required for the different varieties of potato tubers and woody plants ('3,4,5,6.) it was considered worth while to make a more careful study of the effect of ethylene chlorhydrin, thiourea, amttonium thiocyanate and potassium thiocyanate under a variety of conditions and concentrations to determine with certainty whether these chemicals had any stimulatory effect on germination or would modify the growing habits of winter wheat in any way. 5 . EXPERIMENTAL. A variety of winter wheat, namely, Jones'Fife was used in the following experiments. Treatments were made on approximately thirty five seeds soaked in ten cubic centimetres of the solution. Each lot was accompanied by controls soaked in distilled wa.ter for a corresponding period to eliminate the possibility of the effect being due only to the soaking. The treatments were made at room temperature, approximately 18 - 20\u00C2\u00B0 C. After soaking all the seeds rere rinsed well with distilled water before planting. The grains were planted in flats containing ordinary coarsely sieved field so-'l, the treated seeds being planted in rows separated by rows of the control seeds which had been soaked in distilled water. The flats were kept in the greenhouse at about 15\u00C2\u00B0 C., and were watered at regular intervals. Rec'ords were kept of the date of emergence, rate of gro 'th, and the general appearence. For purposes of comparison flats containing Jones' Fife and a variety of spring O S. c c * X \u00E2\u0080\u0094 \u00C3\u008F ? K \" C \u00E2\u0080\u0094 S C S S K 1 t s r C * s\u00C3\u00AD & a r ? ? = m a C S S 0 <3 r & s $ * CM a O K K S R s; = r CM OJ CM CM a a a a a a c a e; 0 O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *!-4 \u00E2\u0080\u0094t +3 +3 ^ 43 43 a a \u00C2\u00A13 ^ a ^ a a W r*4 r*< r*t W O ^ O O O O S\u00C3\u00AC $ ^ 33 C3 Q) iS 43 +3 4a - ae^ as^ r- as^- a!^- a! a\u00C3\u009F ^ C^) jg:: CM ^\u00C3\u00AF CM g: CM i * \u00C2\u00A1-O o a o s\u00C3\u00A1 s \"y M ^ t-jj D ta O i^O ^ & ii O <\u00C3\u008B* * {6 O O a # O a e ^ t a a e e a e E a c a s a a a a 43 \u00C2\u00A7 43 a g a! tw r-( \ \u00C3\u00AF o &) O- c o at a = E a s a = a a e t s & s: s $ 4a Ci t& 43 05 O \u00C3\u008Bg \u00C3\u00A8 * \u00C2\u00A13 {H a O a OJ H O a o >-# LT\, U*\ Lf\ C - C* - p-* i-D T-O ej CJ \u00C2\u00A1-i i-; \u00C3\u00AF^! CM OJ CM \u00E2\u0080\u0094Wr-ir-if'iW'*?-: &J!- I S S Z S S S OJ CM CM ^ a es < # y oc COCO ri sy ^ *s\u00C3\u00AE* '-\u00C3\u008D ^ 4^ es O CM ^ g eg c o ^ & e K\u00C3\u00AC M e .0 o 7 . II. TREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM THIOCYANATE, AMMONIUM THIOCYANATE AND THIOUREA. Solutions of the concentrations as indicated in the following tables were made up and the seed treated for different times with the solutions of the varying concentrations The planting and observations were made as in the previous experiment. CONCLUSIONS. 1. That the seed of winter wheat treated with solutions of potassium thiocyanate,.!, .5, 1 and \u00C2\u00BFL per cent, ammonium thiocyanate, .5, 1, and 5 per cent, or thiourea 1, 3, or 5 per cent showed no change in the period of dormancy. 2. That all except the thiourea solutions 1 and 2 per cent, when used for 1 or 2 hours had a detrimental effect on germination. 5. That 1 and 2 per cent solutions of thiourea when used for ore or two hours cmis^d -, -'l'g'T:*'y healthy growth although the germination was not hastened. S3 3 33 8} as t * ar 0 a) ^ 0 g) cf ^ a! 0 a g) )\u00E2\u0080\u0094) -H O 33 c! sr 0 23 O ^ \"g\u00C3\u00AD T\u00C3\u00AD t o c) r) ^ * # # * * * ^ 00 \"^ 00 cc r-4 OO xD OJ CM CM CM OJ CM * CC. O D ccor j. oj CM OJ o y-? r-i r-4 r4 r-4 r- r-i < O \u00C3\u00AC< e e e = r y OD !-t r-4 <-4 W CC W -st OC OJ r-t ^ CC CM CM CU CM u^ tr\tf\ur\cMCMCM CM r-)r4r-) r-i CM 6f\oc CM -sy c**- O ' ^ O Ox Ox Ox ^ C MX \u00C2\u00A1M O * 43 -4 a 43 a O ^ O m a 43 r Ci C ^ ^ C P4-0 r-t O w ^ c 43 so S? a o CK CO g eg.ts^a -W S3 y W rcf A O +s g) O O O A ^ # ^ e a? & t> a * & o m o at {h ^ \u00C2\u00A7 ^ a <3 r) a O * O O 40 US O -t) O O < ^ # # * cc co r- tr- . ^ O -3 o # - a # # OL e\cc ^ -J3 -s\u00C3\u00AD- \"\u00C2\u00A1t C\J OJ CJ CM OJ OJ OJ OJ CJ C.J o o o 43 -H 43 la S3 o o o \u00C3\u008B! 43 S a a S c & tS6 o = t r a t\u00C3\u00AE O T-! 43 . "Thesis/Dissertation"@en . "10.14288/1.0060351"@en . "eng"@en . "Chemistry"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "University of British Columbia"@en . "For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use."@en . "Graduate"@en . "The effect of certain chemicals on germination and dormancy in winter wheat"@en . "Text"@en . "http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28001"@en .