Effect of hot water priming on the sprouting of carrot (Daucus carota L.) seeds

Seed priming alleviates environmental problems such as water and salinity stresses, hence improves seed germination and subsequent growth. This study was conducted to examine the effect of hot water priming on the sprouting of carrot (Daucus carota L.) in the Southern Guinea Savannah. The study was conducted at the Crop Production Department Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (Latitude 9o06” and Longitude 6o57). The experiment was laid in completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated three times. The treatments include T1 (control), T2 (25°C and T3 50°C). Evaluated germination traits include germination percentage, germination speed, mean germination time, mean daily germination, peak germination value and germination value. Results showed that there were significant differences among treatments (p ≤ 0.05) on germination percentage, peak value, mean daily germination (MDT) and seedling length. Moreover, there were no significant differences in the germination speed, mean germination time and germination value (p > 0.05). The result of the experiments revealed that priming improved most of the measured parameters of carrot seed over the unprimed one. Priming carrot seeds at 50°C provide higher germination percentage, peak value, mean daily germination and seedling length. Keywords: priming, carrot, hot water, germination, sprouting