Subject: Soaking Seeds in Vitamin Solution Aids Eggplant Growth

From: [email-masked] (Bob Batson)
Date: 1 Jul 1996 19:28:02 GMT

Soaking Seeds in Vitamin Solutions Aids Eggplant Growth

  That's according to Egyptian researchers who looked at the effects of
soaking eggplant seeds in solutions containing ascorbic acid (Vitamin
C), pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), or thiamin (Vitamin B1) on subsequent plant
root and shoot growth and infestations by root-knot nematodes
(Meloidogyne javanica). Solutions containing 50 or 100 parts per million
of pyridoxine or thiamin resulted in significantly fewer root galls due
to the nematodes than were observed on untreated controls, but
solutions containing ascorbic acid (concentrations unspecified) did not
reduce nematode infestations. All three vitamins boosted growth of
nematode-inoculated plants. Soaking times are not specified in the
reference given below.
  We [_HortIdeas_ editors] believe that this area of investigation could
be fruitfully expanded by backyard gardeners and students who need to do
science projects. There are certainly many readily available
water-soluble vitamins to experiment with, and lots of experimental
variables to manipulate (such as soaking time and solution
concentration). We'd like to hear about your results if you experiment
with soaking seeds in vitamin solutions.
  Reference: Abstract 3251, _Horticultural Abstracts_ 66(4), April 1996,
407.
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Reprinted with permission from the May 1996 _HortIdeas_. Copyright 1996
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Bob Batson                              L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
[email-masked]                             Kansas City
TCS - Mystic Fire Priest                USDA zone 5b
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Under the most controlled conditions, the experimental apparatus will
do exactly as it pleases.