Mechanical scarification technique breaks seed coat-mediated dormancy in wild oat (<i>Avena fatua</i>)

Abstract Wild oat is a herbicide resistance-prone global weed species that causes significant economic losses in dryland and horticultural agriculture. As result, there has been research effort to control this species. A major impediment the seed coat-mediated dormancy of wild oat, which requires labor-intensive incision or puncturing coat initiate germination. This study defines most efficient settings mechanical thresher overcome then validates these using multiple populations collected from Western Australian grain belt. We also compare effects rapid scarification known germination stimulus tactics such as with sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ), partial endosperm removal, sandpaper coat, immersion sodium nitroprusside (NO donor SNP) solution on seedling growth rate. Threshing treatment 1,500 rpm for 5 s provides equivalent compared manually individual seeds, no difference relative The seeds resulted greater (66%) than H (0%), removal (10%), (25%), exposure NO SNP (34%). demonstrates physical can be rapidly commercially available thresher.