Influence of seed size grade on sunflower plant high

Abstract

The seed size is one of the seed quality components which affect the performance of the crop. In order to equalize the quality, the seeds are processed and packed by grade where seeds are separate by size and specific weight. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of seed processing and grading on sunflower plant height at bud stage. The field experiment was carried out during the growing seasons of 2010 and 2011, with six seed grade of hybrid Sremac at the experimental fields of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops at Rimski šančevi and Zrenjanin Agricultural Advisory Services. Data were analyzed using three-way ANOVA for a split-split-plot design. Based on obtained results it can be concluded that the effect of all three observed factors - locality, growing seasons and seed grade on sunflower plant height at bud stage was statistically highly significant as well as interaction year x locality, while other interactions did not show statistical significance. Also, significant differences were observed between bigger and smaller grades, where the plant height proportionally decreased with seed size.