Gibberilic acid treatment of yak seed to increase success of germination

Materials:

• Gibberilic acid (GBA) powder, may be ordered online from various sources, such as eBay.
  
• Coffee filter
• Wooden toothpick
• Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
• Sterile (boiled) water
• Small plastic cup (such as a Gatorade measuring cup)
• 1 tsp (5ml) measuring spoon
• Ziplock sandwich bag

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Method:

1. Cut off the end of a pointed round toothpick, and flatten the end to make a tiny 1mg scoop, or use a flat wooden toothpick.
2. Measure 3 tiny 1x2 mm scoops of GBA with the toothpick and place in the small plastic cup.
3. Add a few drops of alcohol to dissolve the GBA.
4. Bring the volume up to 10ml (2 tsp) with sterile (boiled) water in the plastic cup.   This will give an approximately 300-600 parts per million solution of GBA.    Agitate the solution and be certain that the GBA has completely dissolved in the water.
5. Place yak seed on a coffee filter, and keep away from breezes or bumps.
   
6. Moisten the yak seed on the coffee filter with the GBA solution over an area of a couple of inches.
7. Fold the coffee filter over the seeds and pour the remaining GBA solution over the filter.
   
8. Place the coffee filter moistened with GBA and seeds in a ziplock sandwich bag, and hold for 48 hrs.
9. After the 2 days of GBA treatment, scrape the yak seeds off the coffee filter onto previously prepared seed sowing medium, such as damp milled sphagnum. 
   
10. Lightly water in seed with fungicide (Captan) solution and care as for other rhodo seed (surface sown, under lights at 70 F).   Germination of a high percentage of seed should occur in 2 weeks (rather than months and low germination rate as with untreated yak seed).
11. Untreated control yak seed, with plain water on a coffee filter, is also processed, with comparison results pending.
    

Notes:

• GBA is a naturally occurring organic compound, originally discovered in 1935 in Japan as derived from a fungus infecting rice, causing unhealthy rapid thin spindly growth of the rice plants.    More information on GBA.
  
• For inducing germination, seed contact with the GBA should be temporary.   If the GBA is in the seed sowing medium, weak thin spindly growth (like the rice disease) will result (Ticknor).
• GBA is "relatively nontoxic", but be careful and avoid skin or eye contact. 
• A excellent study of yak seed germination using GBA, and using some varied techniques from those described above, with the addition of Chlorox treatment, by Russ Gilkey, a longtime member of SE-ARS, can be seen here:    http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v45n3/v45n3-gilkey.htm

JHMcC 1/14