Sharon Eggers

Sub-imbibed Storage: of Recalcitrant Seeds of Four Species Sharon Eggers

The seeds of Trichilia dregeana, Trichilia emetica, Podocarpus henkelii and Syzygium cuminii display the characteristics typical of recalcitrant seeds. It is the phenomena of ongoing metabolic activity and desiccation sensitivity that render them unsuitable for storage by the conventional methods used for orthodox seeds. Investigations on the storage responses of ?sub-imbibed? (partially dried) and fully hydrated seeds of all four species were carried out to study the effects of partial drying on viability and subsequent storage lifespan. Storage of ?sub-imbibed? seeds of T. dregeana, T. emetica, P. henkelii and Syzygium cuminii does not confer any benefit over seeds stored in the fully hydrated state; rather it appears to be deleterious to seed survival during storage. This was dtermined from the assessment of viability, electrolyte leakage and respiration. It is apparent that the removal of water, however small a proportion, accelerates seed deterioration during storage. Thus ?sub-imbibed? storage has no practical application for the storage of recacitrant seeds.