The influence of water activity on three genotypes of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in relation to mechanical damage resistance.
1995
Bay A.P.M. | Taylor A.G. | Bourne M.C.
Mechanical damage has been identified as an important cause of vigour loss and decreased seed quality, and resistance to this damage in snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has been associated with seed coat colour and moisture content. Two near-isogenic lines (white and dark-seeded) selected for mechanical damage resistance (MDR) and a commercial cultivar (white-seeded) of snap bean were studied by dropping seeds in a free fall impact test from a height of 2.0 m. Resistance to compression was also tested using a texture analyser, TA.XT2. The dark-seeded isogenic line had a higher germination after impact than the white-seeded isogenic line, followed by the commercial cultivar at each water activity tested from 0.35 to 0.65 in 0.1 increments. Greater MDR to impacts in the dark-seeded line was attributed to higher lignin content in the seed coats and better cotyledon attachment. The germination results after compression showed that genotype differences were observed only at 0.65 water activity, whereby the commercial cultivar remained the most susceptible and the white-seeded isogenic line the least susceptible. In conclusion, seed moisture content was the major governing factor responsible for the degree of susceptibility to mechanical damage while at each water activity level tested genotypic differences to impact damage were measured.
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