Germination and vigour loss of non-sprouted and sprouted wheat seeds during storage – testing the viability constants

Abstract

Abstract The loss of percentage germination and vigour of non-sprouted and sprouted seeds of winter wheat was determined during storage for 80 days at 11 different combinations of moisture content and temperature. Before storage the initial percentage germination and vigour were reduced according to the level of sprouting. During storage the percentage germination and vigour decreased. The rate of germination loss increased with increasing seed moisture content and/or increasing temperature. The species-specific constants K E , C W , C H and C Q of the viability equation were not different for non-sprouted and sprouted seeds. Likewise, the relation between the percentage of normal and abnormal seedlings was independent of sprouting. The rate of vigour loss was also independent of the storage conditions and of sprouting.