Computer-aided digital image analysis of seedling size and growth rate for assessing seed vigour in Impatiens

Abstract

Vigour was measured using computer-aided analysis of digital images in six seed lots of Impatiens that differed in vigour but retained greater than 86% standard germination. Seed lots that differed in initial seed vigour were selected based on the commercially used Ball Vigour Index and vigour independently assessed using saturated salts accelerated aging tests. Digital images were captured from seeds germinated in Petri dishes placed on a flat-bed scanner. Seedling growth was measured daily for four days following initial radicle protrusion using commercially available root length calculating software. Seedling size and growth rate generally ranked seed lots from high to low vigour in a similar way compared to the Ball Vigour Index and saturated salts accelerated aging tests. The exception was that seed lot #2 was identified as the highest vigour seed lot using seedling growth parameters rather than seed lot #1. However, high and low vigour seed lots were identified as well with seedling growth measurements compared to the other two vigour tests used to evaluate Impatiens seed lots. Additionally, two vigour indices were calculated for seedling length using standard deviation as a measure of population uniformity. Both indices showed less ability to statistically separate seed lots compared to growth measurements alone. The current study showed that computer-aided analysis of digital images could be used successfully to rank seed lot vigour in Impatiens based on seedling length.

Assessment of Potato Mother Tuber Vigour Using the Method of Accelerated Ageing

“…They can be divided into three groups: tests based on germination, including the modernized form based on a computer analysis of digital photographs of germinating plants (Sako et al, 2001;Oakley et al, 2004), physiological and biochemical tests (Marcos-Filho, 1998;Carvalho and Marcos-Filho, 2002) and complex tests (Grzywacz and Orzeszko-Rywka, 2007). Since 1950 more than 60 different tests have been proposed but the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Committee for Vigour Evaluation concentrated mainly on nine of them (Grzywacz and Orzeszko-Rywka, 2007); that is, growth tests, cold-test, cool-test, complex stress vigour test, Hiltner test, accelerated ageing test, controlled deterioration test, electric conductivity test and tetrazolinum test.…”

Rice Seed Germination Analysis

“…Many researchers [1,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,19,20,21,24,26,27,29,30,32,34,35,36,37,38,41,42,43,44,45,48,49,50,51] have applied image processing for rice germination in their studies. This is because using image processing is rapid, economic, consistent, and objective.…”

Image seedling analysis to evaluate tomato seed physiological potential

“…The use of growth index was also efficient for the vigor evaluation of Impatiens wallerana seeds (OAKLEY et al, 2004) in a system of seedlings images analysis similar to SVIS®. According to the same authors, the evaluation of the seedlings growth after germination can be considered an interesting vigor test.…”