
%0 Journal Article
%A Holm, AM 
%T The effect of high temperature pretreatments on germination of Townsville stylo seed material
%J Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
%D 1973/04/01
%V 13
%N 61
%P 190-192
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/EA9730190
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA9730190 
%X Townsville stylo cv. Gordon dehulled seed and intact pods were exposed to temperatures ranging from 40° to 11 5°C for between 12 and 48 hours in the expectation that a method of reducing hardseededness could be devised. Dry heat temperatures of 75° and 95°C markedly decreased the level of hardseededness in both dehulled seed and intact pods. A temperature of 11 5°C for 12 hours was sufficient to kill all seeds and pods. Fifty per cent germination was achieved after 2.5 days for dehulled seeds and after 5 days for pods exposed to a pretreatment of 95°C. Untreated scarified dehulled seeds took only 1.5 days to achieve 50 per cent germination. It was suggested that a suitable heat pretreatment on Townsville stylo pods should result in a seed material with a soft-seed level similar to dehulled scarified seed, yet with the pods still retaining considerable immunity from 'false starts' to the wet season. 
