Soaking carrot seeds to improve the germination rate and ensure uniform, consistent seedling emergence

Growing carrots

    Because a layer of prickly hairs clings to the seed coat of carrot seeds, sowing them in the usual way results in slow and uneven emergence. Years of practice have shown that soaking the seeds in hydrogen peroxide solution can achieve the goal of uniform, consistent carrot seedling emergence, and this method is now being promoted and used at the carrot production bases in our county. The technique for treating carrot seeds with hydrogen peroxide solution is introduced below:

    1. Preparing the solution

    Dilute the hydrogen peroxide solution with water to make a 25% hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution.

    2. Soaking time

    Put the prepared hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution in a container, then pour in carrot seeds whose prickly hairs have been rubbed off, stirring with a wooden stick as you pour so that all the seeds can absorb water evenly. The soaking time is 30 to 50 minutes; when the temperature is above 30°C, use the lower limit of the soaking time, otherwise use the upper limit.

⟧    3. Germinating the seeds

    After soaking, scoop the seeds out of the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution, then immediately rinse them with clean water 3 to 4 times (straining the water off as you rinse); after straining, put them in a container and cover them with a moist cloth to germinate. If the seeds are moderately mature and plump, generally more than 85% of the seeds will sprout in 7 to 8 days, and full emergence will occur 5 days after sowing.

    4. Points to note

    First, before soaking the seeds in the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution, the carrot seeds you saved yourself or bought should be sun-dried on a sunny day, and debris and shriveled seeds should be removed; second, the seeds that have already been soaked and germinated should be sterilized with a daconil aqueous solution; third, the seeds that have been soaked, germinated and sterilized should be sown promptly, and the field soil should be moist; fourth, after sowing, cover with 0.5 to 1 cm of soil and press down so that the soil fits closely against the seeds, then shade them with a covering, and when 10% to 15% of the seedlings have emerged, lift off the straw mat.