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Amaranth can help to decrease the problems of food, malnutrition and health of the human population, as it provides energy, protein, vitamins and minerals and is also a natural source of lysine, a rare amino acid in other cereals. However, when stored for use as seeds, they suffer a relatively rapid deterioration, which is mainly reflected in low germination. Osmotic conditioning or "priming" is a treatment that can improve the germination capacity of the seeds, once they have been subjected to deterioration. In this work, an osmotic conditioning experiment was carried out with the objective of increasing the germination percentage in amaranth seeds accessions that are conserved at the National Center of Genetic Resources (CNRG) of INIFAP. The seeds of four amaranth genotypes were hydrated in five KNO3 solutions for 2 h, followed by a 24 h drying period at 25 °C. Subsequently, these seeds were tested for germination. The results showed that the germination was increased with osmotic conditioning using KNO3 solutions, thereby the seed deterioration was reverted. Also, the genotype had an effect on the germinative behavior of the seeds. |
