Conformity of vigor tests to determine the seed quality of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivars

摘要

Safflower seeds vary in size, shape and oil content; therefore, a suitable method for testing seed vigor has not been properly developed. This study aimed to create a reliable procedure for combining temperature and time for accelerated aging to be potentially used to perform deterioration and electrical conductivity tests for predicting safflower seed vigor of safflower. Seeds from Balci, Dincer and Remzibey were evaluated in the laboratory for germination, emergence and accelerated aging (AA) at 41, 43 and 45 °C for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Controlled deterioration (CD) was assessed at a 20% moisture content at 45 °C for 48 h, and the electrical conductivity (EC) test was performed in artificially aged seeds. The initial germination rates of Balci, Dincer and Remzibey seeds were determined to be 95.0, 96.5 and 97.5%, respectively, and the emergence percentages were 81.8, 86.5 and 86.0%, respectively, under laboratory conditions. The results demonstrated that increased aging, temperature and time remarkably decreased the germination percentage. For the AA test, 45 °C for 96 h was the most effective temperature and time combination for distinguishing the seed vigor of safflower cultivars. We demonstrated that the conductivity test can be used to evaluate safflower seed vigor because it also negatively correlated with germination and the accelerated aging test, whereas the CD test was not efficient for evaluating seed vigor.