Effects of Seed Chilling and Sowing Media on Seedling Quality in Cucurbits for Grafting

Effects of chilling of imbibed seeds and sowing media on seedling quality were examined in several cucurbitaceous crops grown for grafting. Among the substrates used for growing bottle gourd seedlings in trays of 72 cells, commercial pot substrate (Barokoe) showed the best seedling growth, indicating the importance of the sowing media used for growth promotion of very young seedlings even before the time of first true leaf unfolding. Presoaking the seeds in water increased the seedling emergence rate of watermelon, cucumber, and figleaf gourd. In bottle gourd seeds, however, the emergence rate was significantly reduced by the presoaking treatment. Low temperature storage of seeds after imbibition was effective for increasing percentage of healthy seedlings for grafting, possessing short and thick hypocotyl.