Effects of Sodium Hypochlorite and Certain Plant Growth Regulators on Germination of Witchweed (Striga asiatica) Seeds

Witchweed [ Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze] seeds conditioned for 3 weeks in either water or 0.01% (w/v) sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) had 83 to 95% germination after being treated with dl -strigol, kinetin, zeatin, or natural stimulants from corn ( Zea mays L.) root exudates. None of these compounds, however, induced germination of seeds conditioned in 0.025 or 0.050% (w/v) NaOCl. Seeds conditioned in 0.075, 0.1, or 0.15% (w/v) NaOCl had 8, 56, and 76% germination, respectively, during the first week of conditioning and 10, 100, and 100% germination after 2 weeks of conditioning. Germination in these concentrations of NaOCl was termed “atypical”.