Background: There are various reasons why the germination power of a plant seed, despite being alive, might not be desirable. For instance, factors like seed desiccation, unsuitable growth environments such as inappropriate temperatures, and seed dormancy can affect germination. Addressing seed desiccation and unsuitable growth environments by placing seeds in a moist and appropriate environment can ensure their germination power. In the case of dormant seeds, the suitable environment for germination exists, but the seeds show no response to these favorable conditions. In reality, this lack of response is due to inhibitory factors within the seed dormancy mechanism that prevent germination. Moreover, defining seed dormancy is challenging as it can only be measured by the absence of germination and should not merely be associated with the lack of germination.
Aim: The aim of this experiment was to increase the germination percentage of Iranian caraway seeds by using chemical treatments such as sulfuric acid, nanosilica, and gibberellic acid, as well as to enhance the germination percentage using physical treatments like warm water, scarification, and reducing the damage caused by the caraway seed weevil using hermetic storage and nanosilica.
Methodology: This research was conducted in three separate factorial experiments, using a completely randomized block design with three factors: water (at three levels—normal, 50 and 73 degrees Celsius for 24 hours), sulfuric acid (at 98% concentration for durations of 0, 12, and 24 hours), and gibberellic acid (0, 300, and 600 ppm for 12 hours) to investigate the germination of Iranian caraway seeds.
Conclusions: Comparison of average traits indicated no significant differences in germination percentage and speed of seed germination at 50 and 73 degrees Celsius. However, at normal water temperature, an increase in gibberellic acid concentrations from 0 (resulting in 26.3% and 10.6 seeds per day) to 600 ppm (resulting in 47.5% an