Plant Physiology Practice

Engineer: Gumercindo Oviedo Aguilar

Practice 10: Germination and Vigor of the seed

Student: Ricardo Fco. Bonilla Fernandez

Account Number: 3180529

Date: 21/11/2021

OBJECTIVE
Observe the changes that the seed has during its germination process and the
vigor with which they develop.

INTRODUCTION
Seeds are indispensable in the agricultural crop cycle and are essential for optimal
yields and successful agricultural production. The growing demand for seeds of the
best quality has driven us to continue researching and improving analytical
methods with the aim of increasing yields and thus improving the quality of the
products to be collected.

The actual physiological quality of seeds depends not only on their genetic
inheritance, but also on the environmental conditions of production and storage
and the production, collection, drying and processing techniques involved. When
the seeds reach their physiological maturity, they reach the stage of maximum
quality, and then the process of deterioration begins. When the seeds are left in the
field until storage, the deterioration process will continue; this directly affects the
characteristics of vitality and germination. In addition, the determination of moisture
content is considered essential in quality control procedures because this indicator
is directly related to the physiological quality of seeds.

Seed vigor is defined as the sum of all the characteristics that determine the
activity and yield level of a seed or batch of seeds under the conditions of
germination and emergence of seedlings, while germination refers to the
germination and development of seeds. The basic structure of the embryo
indicates its ability to produce normal plants under favorable field conditions.

GLOSSARY
Seed Vigor: A set of properties that determine the activity and performance in
the favorable growth of seed lots.

Seed: Grain contained inside the fruit of a plant and that, put in the right conditions,
germinates and gives rise to a new plant of the same species.

Germination: The physiological process by which the structures essential for the
formation of a plant emerge and develop from the embryo.

Dormancy: It is the resting state of a plant. It is a strategy of many plant species

that allows them to survive when conditions are not appropriate for growth.

MARCO THEORETICAL
The germination test evaluates the percentage of seeds in a batch with the
capacity to germinate and produce normal seedlings under ideal environmental
conditions (temperature, humidity and aeration) for the germination process in
order to obtain information on the quality of the different batches for marketing.

The vigor test is related to the ability of seeds to germinate and produce a normal
seedling in a wide range of field conditions, not necessarily within the same ideal
conditions for germination. This type of test is used for quality control in seed
producing companies, laboratories and research companies, and is recommended
for:

evaluate or detect significant differences in the physiological quality of seeds with

similar germination rates classify batches of high and low vigor, within a
percentage suitable for marketing, with the aim of carrying out the correct post-
harvest management or the possible disposition of the lot, avoiding losses to
producers and consumers to accurately detect advances in the deterioration of
seeds.

Although it is used to determine the quality of seed batches, germination testing

can overestimate the physiological potential of this seed, as it is performed under
favorable environmental conditions. Researchers question the isolated use of the
germination test to predict seed behavior in the field, where conditions are not
always favorable, thus suggesting the performance of vigor tests as a complement.

WATER QUALITY

The water used in seed quality testing should be free of organic and inorganic
impurities, and the use of distilled water with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 is recommended.
The water must be pre-treated to meet the standards required in laboratory
analyses. Learn more about water treatment in the exclusive material we have
prepared on water treatment and filtration for laboratory analysis. Periodic
monitoring of electrical conductivity is recommended, one of the physical
parameters that can be analyzed with the TEC-4MP Conductivity Determiner to
ensure water quality.

GERMINATION TEST

Mandatory test for the commercialization of seeds, requirements such as the type
of substrate, temperature, duration of the test, luminosity and other additional
information vary according to the species and according to the regulations of each
country.

Although there are variables in terms of size, the system used to accommodate
samples, the devices used to control temperature, light, relative humidity of indoor
air and other details, the most commonly used equipment are chamber-type
germinators. Tecnal offers several models with different specifications, managing
to comply with a wide range of methodologies.

MATERIALS
Seeds

Substrate

Cotton
4 containers

Conclusions

With different temperature changes applied to different seeds, we have observed

that not all seeds benefit from the treatments applied, we can observe that corn
seeds grow at very low temperatures, and if exposed to good sunlight, there is a
good increase.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://proain.com/blogs/notas-tecnicas/prueba-de-vigor-y-germinacion-como-
parametros-en-la-calidad-de-las-semillas
https://ciqa.repositorioinstitucional.mx/jspui/bitstream/1025/334/1/T%C3%A9cnicas
%20Para%20Evaluar%20Germinaci%C3%B3n%2C%20Vigor%20y%20Calidad
%20Fisiol%C3%B3gica%20de%20Semillas%20Sometidas%20a%20Dosis%20de
%20Nanopart%C3%ADculas.pdf