Surface Disinfection of Bread Wheat Seeds for in vitro Germination

In the process of optimizing seed germination, in vitro seed sterilization is complex due to the influence of many factors (e.g., genotype, disinfectants, temperature, light, and application time). This study compared the efficacy of both sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide disinfectants at three concentrations (5%, 10%, 20%) and three treatment times (5, 10, 15 minutes). These are the most used disinfectants for in vitro seed sterilization on wheat. Additionally, the germination and contamination rates of surface disinfection in sterile petri dishes were examined as the initial step for molecular and breeding studies in wheat. Upon examining the results of a total of 19 different disinfection treatment combinations, the findings of this study highlight the significance of a 20% sodium hypochlorite concentration with a 15-minute treatment time as the optimal disinfection method minimizing contamination in the in vitro Murashige and Skoog medium. Method number 8 (20% NaClO – 10 min), which showed the highest germination percentage at 95%, was determined based on the germination results obtained on sterile filter papers in petri dishes. These results provide valuable tools to aid with molecular and breeding studies related to wheat cultivation and improvement of surface seed disinfection.