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A study was made of the relationship among accelerated aging (AA), saturated salt accelerated aging (SSAA), mean germination time and second day germination percentage vigor tests, and seedling emergence and longevity storage at 5 and 25 °C for 6 and 12 months. Initial germination was above 80% for all seed lots. Seedling emergence values varied between 21% and 94% and mean emergence time between 6.5 and 11.0 days among seed lots. The SSAA test correlated with emergence better than the AA test. All combinations of SSAA temperatures (41, 43, and 45 °C for 72 h) were correlated to emergence (r = 0.95 to 0.98, P < 0.001) and emergence rate (r = 0.90 to 0.94, P < 0.001). Seed germination after 6 months of storage ranged between 21% and 98% at 5 °C and 26% and 100% at 25 °C. Corresponding values were 19% and 98% and 15% and 89% after 12 months. All combinations of AA and SSAA were related to longevity of seed lots, but significance for SSAA was higher (above P < 0.01) than AA (P < 0.05). In both tests, a higher aging temperature reduced the significance level. Mean germination time and second day germination percentages also predicted seedling emergence and longevity (P < 0.05 in all cases). Standard germination percentages were successful in predicting seedling emergence (P < 0.05), but with one exception failed to predict (P > 0.05) longevity in viola seed lots. In conclusion, although both aging tests successfully differentiated seed quality, SSAA test results better predict emergence and longevity of viola seed lots.

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The effect of moisture on seed longevity during experimental storage was investigated in pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivar Demre. Seeds were stored hermetically at 7.0%, 8.6%, 9.5%, 10.5%, and 12.1% moisture content (MC; percent fresh weight basis) and 35 °C for up to 306 d. Viability (normal germination) was assessed periodically and the seed viability equation moisture constants, KE and CW, estimated by regression of log σ (the sd of distribution of seed death in time) with log MC. KE and CW values were found to be 7.767 and 4.670, respectively. The newly found moisture constants were combined with the temperature constants that had already been proposed as universal for all orthodox seeds (CH = 0.0329, CQ = 0.000478) and their validity was tested by predicting the viability loss in another pepper cultivar, Carliston. The Ki of the Carliston cultivar was determined by controlled deterioration at 40 °C and 14% MC. The observed viability loss between 30 and 270 d at 25 °C and 10% seed MC was closely related to that predicted by the equation R2 = 0.982 (P < 0.001).

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