The effect of seed oil content on viability assessment using tetrazolium: a case study using 171 species
2005
Wood, C.B. (University of Plymouth (United Kingdom). The Graduate School) | Miles, S. | Rix, C. | Terry, J. | Daws, M.I.
In this paper seed viability estimates using the topographical tetrazolium (TZ) stain with germination data for 171 species from 27 families, are compared with a particular emphasis on 6 families. TZ consistently underestimated viability compared with germination testing for species in the Asteraceae (19 species), Brassicaceae (17 species) and Solonaceae (16 species), possibly as a result of stain permeation problems into oily seeds (typically ca. 20-30% in species of these families). TZ also underestimated viability in Aizoaceae (19 species), but oil contents are unknown for this group of species. Viability and germination data were more comparable in Fabaceae (15 species) and Poaceae (59 species), which typically have low oil contents (ca. 5-8%) seeds. These findings suggest the need for TZ protocol improvements, especially for high oil content seeds. In contrast, TZ gave higher values than the germination test for some species, indicating the need for germination protocol improvements of biodiverse species. Overall, the results emphasize the need to be cautious when interpreting TZ tests, particularly for species where there are no published international guidelines
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