Principles of seed storage (II). Vigor tests

Abstract

The effect of aging, a major cause of lack of seed vigour, was investigated. The Controlled Deterioration (CD) test, where initial seed moisture content is raised to a fixed level prior to incubation at 45 degrees C for 24 h, was applied to turnip, swede, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprout, sugarbeet, carrot, lettuce and onion seeds in 1977 and 1978. Except for lettuce in 1978, germination after CD was better than standard laboratory germination as an indicator of field performance.