Physiological changes of pea seed quality due to ageing

Abstract

Three pea seed lots of the cultivar " Greenshaft " were subjected to five ageing periods (0, 2,4,8 and 16 days) with three seed moisture contents (12, 16 and 20 % MQ in a waterbath at 35°C using controlled deterioration technique. Physiological changes were assessed through electrical conductivity, standard germination, soil emergence, and seedling evaluation test for root and shoot length as well as their dry matter contents. A similar pattern of deterioration were recorded in all the attributes studied. Moreover, highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation, were found among all the parameters evaluated. Oniy seed leachate was increased with severity of ageing conditions as revealed by higher electrical’conductivity. On the other hand, germination percentage, soil emergence percentage, root and shoot length as well as their dry matter contents were reduced accordingly. Lastly, more and more seedlings became abnormal with increase in ageing conditions before ultimate catastrophe - the death. The results concluded that changing rates of physiological properties among the three seed lots due to rapid ageing could play a sound basis for the evaluation of pea seed quality very effectively.