Ethanol release as an indicator of seed vigour in radish, pepper, watermelon, aubergine, leek and onion seed lots

Abstract

Ethanol release was tested in relation to seed vigour measured by seedling emergence and controlled deterioration tolerance in radish, pepper, watermelon, aubergine, leek and onion seed lots. Ethanol release, measured with six lots from each species after four and eight hours at 40°C and 30% seed moisture, was highly negatively correlated with controlled deterioration tolerance (45°C, 48 hours, 20% seed moisture) in radish (r = 0.05, P < 0.05), with seedling emergence in watermelon (r = 0.99, P < 0.01) and to both traits in pepper (r = 0.87 to 0.94, P < 0.05), but not with any variable for aubergine and leek. One single case was significant between ethanol release after eight hours and controlled deterioration for onion seeds. Results indicate that there is a relationship between ethanol release and seed vigour, but this appears to be species dependent.

Ethanol test as a determinant of physiological potential of forest species seeds: The case of Plathymenia reticulata Benth. (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae), a tree of interest for Atlantic Forest restoration

“…After ascertaining a reduction in vigor of the formed lots, the demands of a vigor test can be met by comparing lots with differences in performance potential. This can be done by measuring endogenous ethanol in partially imbibed seeds as it is a volatile organic compound produced as part of a fermentation process (Kucukhuseyin et al, 2021). The vigor test based on the production of ethanol proved sensitive to the detection of deterioration at different levels, which suggests the capacity to interfere in the physiological state of the lots and assertively discriminate them, even in lots that had their physiological quality overestimated in the germination test.…”

“…A vigor test based on loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity is the ethanol test, which supplies important information on physiological problems related to deterioration, given that more deteriorated seeds produce more ethanol than less deteriorated seeds (Buckley and Buckley, 2009). This test has demonstrated as a promising method compatible with other vigor tests on cabbage (Kodde et al, 2012), malted barley (Buckley et al, 2016), corn (Onwimol et al, 2019), melon (Ornellas et al, 2020), red rice (Barbosa et al, 2021), watermelon, pepper, and radish (Kucukhuseyin et al, 2021). Optimization of ethanol analysis protocols may be an efficient alternative to determine the physiological potential of seeds.…”