Determination of viable and dead Scots pine seeds of different anatomical maturity after freezing using the IDX method
1995
Sahlen, K. | Bergsten, U. | Wiklund, K. (Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umea (Sweden). Faculty of forestry, Department of Silviculture)
In the IDX test water is used as the contrast agent during x-radiography subsequent to incubation and drying. Since viable and dead seeds of many tree species differ in ability to retain imbibed water when dried, determination of dead and viable seeds may thus be possible. To investigate whether the IDX test might be used for a quick determination of Scots pine seed viability during ripening, seed samples of different anatomical maturity were incubated at 20-40 % moisture content for 1 and 3 days and subsequently frozen to -20 deg C for 1 and 3 days. Comparisons were made between different x-ray image classes and the actual performance by germination test. Of the tested drying times, 120 minutes gave the best possibility to group the seven x-ray image classes used into new classes for determination of dead and viable seeds. The best classification was achieved if seeds with evenly low optical density of the whole embryo were classified as viable and seeds having embryos with uneven optical density were classified as dead. Moisture content during incubation and freezing was the only factor influencing the percentage of correctly predicted viable and dead seeds. It was concluded that the method might be useful for determination of viability during ripening, but should also be tested on immature seeds
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