Investigatiaon of storage protocol of Ulmus wallichiana planchon seeds; effect of equilibrium moisture content on seed viability and vigour

摘要

The effect of relative humidity (RH) and temperature on the equilibrium moisture content (EMC), moisture sorption isotherm, viability and vigour of Ulmus wallichiana seeds was studied at four temperature ranging from 20 to 50 deg C and at three RH levels, i.e., 11.2, 51.4 and 85.3 per cent. The maximum adsorption was recorded at higher RH and low temperatures while desorption was recorded at lower RH (11.2 percent) at all 4 temperatures and only at 40 and 50 deg C at 51.4 percent RH. Effect of RH and temperature on viability and vigour of seed during storage was quantified by the germination percentage, half viability period (P_(50)), germinatiaon value (GV), rate of loss of viability (d~(-1)) and germination index (GI). The results indicate that at 11.2 percent RH and 20 deg C temperature seeds retained viability for longer period with high vigour.