How to treat zucchini seeds? A detailed guide to the latest methods

Zucchini is called little pumpkin by many people. It is a cucurbit vegetable with rich nutritional value and strong market demand, and it has a very large planting area in our country. When planting zucchini, in order to improve the germination rate of zucchini seeds as well as the later yield, we need to treat the zucchini seeds before planting. So how exactly should this be done? Below, the editor will briefly introduce it for everyone. Let's take a look together!

1. Seed selection

Before sowing zucchini seeds, we must first select good zucchini seeds. The seeds should mainly be fresh, glossy, and have a high germination rate. For seeds whose seed coats are dull and show yellowing, these are generally old seeds that have been stored for a long time, and the germination rate of such seeds is generally relatively low, so they are not suitable for selection. Then we should pick out impurities, pest-damaged seeds, and wounded seeds from among the seeds. To ensure the overall quality and germination rate of the seeds, the usual seeding rate per mu is controlled at about 200 g.

2. Seed disinfection

Seeds may carry pathogens, so we should also do a good job of disinfecting the seeds before sowing. The seeds can be placed in warm water at about 60 degrees for soaking for about 10 min. During soaking, be careful to keep turning the seeds. When the water temperature drops to about 30 degrees, let the seeds soak for about 6 hours, then wash them clean and they can be sprouted. The seeds can also be placed in carbendazim solution for soaking for about 1 hour, or soaked in potassium permanganate for half an hour, etc. After soaking, wash them clean with clean water and then place them in clean water to soak for 5 hours, which can achieve the purpose of sterilization and disinfection. However, be careful to control the concentration of the medicinal solution to avoid phytotoxicity.

3. Seed sprouting

After completing the seed disinfection work, scoop out the seeds and then wash them repeatedly to remove the mucus on the seed coats. Then shake off the water, wrap the seeds well with a wet cloth, and place them in an environment of about 28 degrees for sprouting. During sprouting, be careful to turn the seeds frequently, at least once a day. Ensure the seeds receive uniform temperature in all directions. Under normal management, the seeds can generally sprout in about 2 days. Then when about 80% of the seed embryos have grown to about 0.5 cm, they can be sown.

4. Timely sowing

Before sowing, we must first prepare the seedling bed and pour sufficient warm water at about 35 degrees into the soil. After the water seeps down into the lower soil layer, cover the upper soil layer with a layer of culture soil and then sowing can begin. The main zucchini seedling-raising method is raising seedlings in nutrient pots. Sow one seed in each nutrient pot, and after sowing cover with a layer of about 4 cm of nutrient soil. Generally, after all nutrient pots have been sown, cover the whole seedbed with another layer, then properly cover with film to maintain soil moisture, and seedlings can emerge after about 7 days. When about 75% of the seedlings have emerged, the plastic film should be removed to avoid seedling scorching.

The above is a brief introduction to zucchini seed treatment methods. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can be helpful to everyone!