6 BULLETIN 1383, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
EFFECTS OF SINGLE-BATH HOT-WATER TREATMENTS IN 1921-22 
GERMINATION 
In the fall of 1921 single-bath treatments at 46° C. were included 
in the studies on smut control, and treatments at 47° C. were included 
in all of the studies. The treatments at 50° and 51° C. were not 
included in the yield tests because of their injurious effects on germi- 
nation, even when applied for insufficient time to effect complete 
control of loose smut. In the germination tests in soil, four lots of 
Goens (Red Chaff) wheat from Indiana and one lot each of Fulcaster 
(C. I. 6162) and Purplestraw (C. I. 1915) wheats from Arlington 
Experiment Farm, Rosslyn, Va., were employed, except for the 
treatments at 46° C, in which only the four lots of Goens were used. 
All the seed was grown in 1921. 
Treatments were applied on September 7 and 8, 1921, at the tem- 
peratures and during the time periods designated in Table 3. The 
grain then was spread to cool, left to dry at room temperatures for 
one week and packeted. On December 3, 1921, 100 untreated 
seeds and 100 seeds from each treatment of each of the six lots were 
sown in soil in greenhouse flats. One month later germination counts 
were made. 
Table 3. — Percentages of germination of six lots of wheat from seed untreated or 
treated with hot water, as specified, and sown in soil in the greenhouse, 
December 3, 1921 
Treatment of the seed 
Percentage of germination 
Kind and temperature 
Duration 
Lot 16, 
Goens 
Lot 17, 
Goens 
Lot 19, 
Goens 
Lot 21, 
Goens 
Lot 26, 
Ful- 
caster 
Lot 27, 
Purple- 
straw 
Aver- 
Hours 
Min- 
utes 
age 
Untreated 
91 
74 
94 
86 
88 
90 
86 
94 
85 
86 
89 
89 
87 
88 
89 
70 
66 
93 
53 
91 
91 
91 
85 
81 
78 
86 
78 
76 
82 
86 
79 
79 
63 
63 
96 
76 
95 
92 
93 
92 
94 
92 
86 
88 
86 
88 
86 
90 
86 
72 
66 
80 
54 
66 
72 
68 
70 
74 
54 
66 
68 
44 
68 
58 
68 
70 
46 
62 
98 
66 
88 
58 
91.0 
Modified method 
63.5 
Single-bath method: 
2 
3 
3 
4 
2 
2 
2 
2 
3 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
30 
~"~3o" 
IS" 
30 
45 
"""46" 
50 
35" 
15 
86.5 
At46"C._ 
85.3 
85.0 
84.3 
At 47° C„. 
88 
86 
82 
86 
78 
84 
88 
92 
86 
76 
70 
80 
80 
94 
78 
80 
82 
78 
88 
88 
86 
72 
83.8 
80.7 
83.2 
At48°C 
At49°C 
80.7 
75.5 
82.2 
80.5 
84.2 
83.0 
At. 50° C 
68.8 
At 51° C 
66.5 
Table 3 show T s that the modified hot-water treatment reduced 
germination 27.5 per cent, or more than any other treatment. The 
single-bath treatments at 47° C. for three hours, at 50° C. for one 
hour and a quarter, and at 51° C. for one hour also caused injury, 
reducing germination 15.5, 22.2, and 24.5 per cent, respectively. 
EMERGENCE OF SEEDLINGS 
The reduced percentages of germination of treated seeds do not 
show all of the injurious effects of treatment, however. Frequently 
the emergence of the seedlings was retarded measurably. They 
