SEED GERMINATION TEST BY USING SAND

This method is most appropriate for large seeds (with a diameter > 1 cm), which are difficult to germinate in Petri dishes or too heavy for the between-paper method.

• Pack sterile, moist sand into pots or deep-bottom plastic trays with drainage. A single sheet of paper can be placed in the base of the tray to keep the sand from pouring out through the drainage holes.
• ?Water the sand until it is moist. Do not use excess water.
• ?Make holes in a regular equidistant pattern at about the same depth as the size of the seeds. Ideally, the distance between holes should be at least three to five times the seed diameter.
• ?Prepare a plastic or wooden label with the accession number, date of sowing and replicate number, and place it in each tray.
• ?Place one seed in each hole and cover the holes with sand.
• ?Water the sand again by sprinkling to ensure that the sand layer is not displaced or the seeds are not disturbed when watering. Bottom-watering is better than top- watering—it is achieved by placing the test containers in larger plastic trays with water for about one hour.
• Place the trays in appropriate light and temperature for the species.
• Keep the substrate moist during tests by adding water, but do not over-water.
• ?Run the test for the period recommended for the species and count the number of seeds that have sprouted.