To evaluate the effects of different treatments on seed dormancy breaking of Notobasis, two separate experiments were conducted at Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, in 2017 with three replications. The first experiment included nine physical, mechanical and chemical treatments (control, surface scarification, intense scarification, one and two weeks of chilling at 4°C, soaking into hot water for two hours without scarification , soaking in 25°C distilled water for two hours with scarification  and acid treatment for six and 12 minutes) based on completely randomized designs (CRD). The Second experiment was hormone priming arranged as a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with gibberellin concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm) and priming duration (12 and 24 hour) as the treatments. The highest seed GERMINATION (40%) obtained from 12 minutes of acid treatment. Results showed that seed GERMINATION reached to 100% after priming seeds with GA3 concentrations for 12 hours. However, increase the priming durations to 24 hours, significantly declined seed GERMINATION to 47% in 200 and 400 ppm of GA3 concentrations. The Increase of GA3 concentrations in 12 hours led to a linear reduction of T50 from 31 hours in 200 ppm to 19 hours in 1000 ppm). In 24 hours of priming treatment, T50 followed a Gaussian function and the highest T50 (92 hours) was obtained from 600 ppm. It is recommended to immerse the seeds for 12 minutes in sulfuric acid and prime with 400 ppm GA3 acid for 12 hours to break dormancy and increase the vigor index.

In order to investigate the effect of seed hardening on GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and GERMINATION rate of Common bean (Akhtar cultivar) an experiment was conducted in 2008 in seed laboratory of the Islamic Azad University, Shahre-rey branch. The experimental design was completely randomized design with four replications. Five treatments of seed hardening including, 12 hours soaking and 12 hours drying of seeds at three times, 12 hours soaking and 12 hours drying of seeds at four times, 24 hours soaking and 24 hours drying of seeds at tree times, 24 hours soaking and 24 hours drying of seeds at four times and no hardening of seeds (control) were studied. Results showed that the effect of seed hardening on GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and GERMINATION rate was significant at p< 0.01. Soaking and drying of seeds in comparison with control treatment, increased GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and GERMINATION rate. The highest GERMINATION PERCENTAGE (99.25%) and GERMINATION rate (1.77 days) was achieved in 24 hours soaking and 24 hours drying of seeds at four times.

The objective of this research experiment is determination and evaluation of PERCENTAGE of GERMINATION, total speed of GERMINATION and vigor index of seeds of 9 medicinal plant species. According to the International Seed Test Association (ISTA), different tests including standard GERMINATION test with normal condition and standard GERMINATION test with prechilling condition were used for determination of percent and total speed of GERMINATION of the species. The vigor indices were calculated by following equation: PERCENTAGE of GERMINATION x mean of total length of root and shoot. The results were a function of the results of percent of GERMINATION and total speed of GERMINATION.

Iran is located in a hot and dry region. As a result of low precipitation and a vast area of salty and alkali soil, osmotic pressure is very high in most parts of the country (i.e., osmotic potential is more negative). In the present study four levels of osmotic pressure (-0.25, -0.35, -0.45, -0.50 MPa) were created artificially, by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and treatment of three seed types, namely, barley, corn and canola. The study aimed at finding the seeds with better GERMINATION potential under high osmotic pressure. The seeds' GERMINATION potential under different levels of osmotic pressure was also investigated. The experiment was conducted with four replications at the Laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Saveh Branch, in a completely randomized design. Parameters under study were GERMINATION rate and GERMINATION PERCENTAGE. Results showed that GERMINATION rate was not affected by osmotic potential. Considering GERMINATION PERCENTAGE, only osmotic potential of -0.50 reduced GERMINATION PERCENTAGEs of corn seeds. Levels of osmotic potential did not affect seed GERMINATION in barley and canola.

This paper investigates the effects of cold plasma radiation on the PERCENTAGE, velocity, average GERMINATION per day, GERMINATION index, and prose and growth of green cumin roots. A factorial experiment was performed in a randomized design in 5 repetitions. Test factors included pretreatment of cold plasma irradiation time at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes by 7 and 14 kV and 800 Hz plasma generators. The results of this work showed that the treatment time and the applied voltage of cold plasma significantly affect the PERCENTAGE, velocity, average of GERMINATION per a day, GERMINATION index, and prose and root of the green cumin seed. Among all treatments, a dose of treatment with time of 6 minutes at a peak voltage of 14 kV had the greatest effect on the referred characteristics, except increasing root in which plasma treatment with a dose of 3 minutes has the most effect. Cold plasma has been generated with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a hand-made and designed in on desk dimensions, in which air is used as plasma active gas.

In order to study seed GERMINATION characteristics of Eremurus spectabilis under physical and chemical treatments, the mature seeds of Eremurus spectabilis were treated by collected from National Botanical Garden of Iran. Seeds were imposed under physical stimulator pretreatments, including soaking of seeds in water for 24-48h, cutting of seeds' tip, making abrasion on seed cortex, exposing to light for 24h, 12h and incubating in darkness. It was also followed by chemically stimulation the seeds, using sodium hypochloride, citric acid and gibberellic acid in different constrations, in order to achieve suitable methods of GERMINATION and breaking dormancy. Soaking of seeds in the water for 24-48h, removing seed cortex and washing in 35% sodium hypocholoride and distilled water, cutting seed tip and treat in gibberrelic acid (0.01 M.) and citric acid (50 mg/lit) for 45 minutes and temperature 10-15°C and white light, 24h (4500- 5000 lux) for 1-3 weeks led to the highest GERMINATION PERCENTAGE (53.3%), GERMINATION speed (0.88) and seed vigor (10.2).

GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and seed vigor are among important characters affecting the seed quality. Effects of bracts in seeds of Haloxylon aphylum on seed GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and vigor have been evaluated. The seeds were collected from man-made forests of Haloxylon aphylum in Ashkezar (Yazd province) in autumn 2004. At the harvest time, the plants aged 18 and had been pruned and scattered at age of 12. Screened seed samples were divided in two parts, a sample with bracts and the second without as bracts. Both seed samples were compared for GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and seed vigor. Significant differences were obtained in GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and seed vigor for the tree numbers per unit area treatment. It means that with reduction of tree accumulation, GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and seed vigor also decreased. The seeds sampled from pruned and non pruned trees showed no difference, but differences were found among seeds with and without bracts in measured characteristics. Therefore, bractless seeds could present better GERMINATION PERCENTAGE and seed vigor in Haloxylon aphylum. Thus, use of bract-free seeds is a feasible and advisable way for reproduction of Haloxylon aphylum.

Salt stress is one of the most serious limiting factors for crop growth and production. In order to study the effect of salinity stress on the PERCENTAGE and rate of GERMINATION of sunflower seeds and localization of genes controlling the traits in sunflower genome, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications were conducted in Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Urmia University. The first factor was 70 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of sunflower derived from the cross PAC2 (female parent) × RHA266 (male parent) together with parents and the second factor was salinity stress levels including 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 dS/m. The results of analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences among RILs and salinity levels based on two studied traits in 1% probability level and also significant interaction of Line by Salt stress. Heritability for GERMINATION rate and PERCENTAGE was estimated 20% and 14%, respectively. Mapping of genes was performed using constructed SSR/SNP linkage map including 221 markers with average distance of 7. 44 CM between markers. In several salinity levels, 22 QTLs for GERMINATION rate and 12 QTLs for GERMINATION PERCENTAGE were detected. The effects of detected QTLs were varied between 2. 04% to 67. 61%. In this study, QTLs including salt2. PGS. 13. 1, salt2. PGS. 2. 1, salt2. GR. 1. 1, salt4. GR. 9. 1, salt6. GR. 10. 1 and salt8. GR. 6. 1 exhibited maximum phenotypic coefficient of variation. The results of this study revealed some non-specific QTLs (co-localized) for studied charactristics which are valuable in plant breeding programs and make it possible to have simultaneous selection for several charactristics.

The improvement of vegetation due to full or partial protection was depicted by most of rangeland scientists. This study investigated the effect of livestock grazing on PERCENTAGE of GERMINATION (PG), mean growth time (MG) and GERMINATION rate (GR) of the even-aged Atriplex canescens, by comparing two sites across zarand, shahreiar rangelands located in the southwest of Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, the seeds of 30 A. canescens within each of the two study sites were collected and a quantitative analysis of the seeds was carried out by laboratory analysis. The results indicated that, grazing had no significant influence on PG, MGT and GR.