How to Treat Licorice Seeds? A Detailed Guide to the Correct Method

The methods currently used in production are as follows: (1) Sand abrasion method: mix licorice seeds with clean river sand at a 1 to 1 ratio, put them into a container, and stir repeatedly so that they rub against each other; sow once the seed coat is no longer shiny. This method is labor-intensive and is only suitable for treating a small quantity of seeds. (2) Rice milling machine treatment: grind the licorice seeds with an electric rice milling machine for 2-3 passes, until the seed coat is scratched but the kernel is not broken. (3) Warming and repeated soaking method: soak the seeds in 60°C warm water for 6-8 hours, and use the "rice-washing method" to float off the seeds in the upper layer that have already absorbed water; then place the unswollen seeds in the lower layer into 100°C boiling water for 2-3 seconds, remove them and immediately put them into cold water so that the seeds receive a hot-cold stimulus, then soak them in 60°C warm water for 2-4 hours, and finally mix all the treated seeds together, wash off the sticky substance with clean water, and they are ready for sowing.