Effect of pretreatment of pine seeds with herbicides on seed germination and growth of young seedlings

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Abstract
The effect of 24-hour pretreatment of Pinus resinosa Ait. seeds with herbicides, before the seeds are planted in soil, was studied on seed germination and seedling development over a 34-day period. Atrazine, simazine, or propazine at 200, 500, or 1000 p.p.m. did not affect seed germination significantly. At 500 and 1000 p.p.m. CDEC and EPTC had little or no effect on seed germination whereas CDAA and 2,4-D markedly inhibited both early and final germination. Atrazine and simazine were very toxic to young pine seedlings, with toxicity proportional to herbicide dosage. In contrast to atrazine and simazine, propazine did not kill seedlings during the 34 days of the experiment. At 500 p.p.m. CDEC and EPTC began to kill young seedlings at 24 days; 2,4-D at 27 days. CDAA, which had suppressed seed germination greatly, did not kill young seedlings. Marked morphogenic changes in seedlings were caused by pretreatment of the seed with EPTC, CDEC, or 2,4-D. CDEC and EPTC caused fused cotyledons; 2,4-D caused swollen stems and shrivelled cotyledons. At about 20 days after planting, the primary leaves of plants whose seeds had been treated with EPTC or CDEC (500 p.p.m.) emerged through a split at the base of the fused cotyledons. Higher dosages of these herbicides suppressed emergence of primary needles.

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