Rye seed samples (cv. Dankowskie Zlote) were dried to 3.7 or 5.5% moisture content (fwb) and stored in different gaseous environments: air, vacuum, CO_2 and N_2. Seed samples were sealed in hermetic glass containers and stored in a chamber at ambienttemperature (about 10°C). Seed viability was checked periodically. Data were recorded after 2, 3, 10, 15 and 19 years of storage. The first visible differences in seed viability were observed after 3 years of storage. After 10 years of storage seeds kept in vacuum or neutral gases preserved their viability at a level close to 80% of germinability, whereas in seeds stored with air, viability decreased to about 30%. Investigation of two levels of seed moisture content did not show significant effect on seed viability during the first 10 years of storage, either in vacuum or in air. However, after 15 years of storage, in the case of seed kept in vacuum, samples with lower seed moisture content showed higher viability.
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