Germination of Corn ( Zea Mays L . ) Cultivars Seed and Its Relationship to Field Performance under Semi-Arid Conditions

This study intended to evaluate seed vigour of Hybrid maize and cultivars under semi arid conditions in Sudan. Two experimental were conducted. First one laboratory tests involved standard germination, speed of germination, seedling fresh and dry weights, shoot and root lengths, and electrical conductivity. The second one was field emergence, to assess speed of emergence, seedling fresh and dry weights, shoot and root lengths, and number of leaves. The laboratory tests was laid out as completely randomized and randomized complete block design for field emergence.(LSD) least significant differences and Correlation relationship was analyzed between the above tested values and vigour performances evaluated. The results showed that there was a significant difference among the cultivars in the above tests, and they were all suitable to evaluate seed vigour of maize seed. Germination percentage showed consistently close relation with field emergence, thus it was found to be the best indicator of field emergence in maize seed germination under semi arid conditions.