Research Data associated with "Impact of fruit orientation and pelleting material on water uptake and germination performance in sugar beet"

Water uptake into seeds is a fundamental prerequisite of germination and commonly influenced by commercial seed enhancement technologies. The effect of fruit orientation and contrasting pelleting materials on germination and biological performance was assessed. The results indicated there was orientation dependent fruit shrinkage of 37% for the operculum side supplied by moisture and 4% for the basal pore side. The expansion rate of 5% of the original size, similar to non-shrinking seeds, indicated this was a temporary effect. This behaviour can be translated to the applied pelleting materials. Pellets with material exhibiting low levels of swelling act as a water distribution layer which increased germination rates. Careful selection of pelleting material has direct implications on germination speed and subsequent establishment rates. Repository submission is the full research data for the publication.