Optimization of the tetrazolium test in three species of orchids of the Andean forest

Abstract

In order to improve the cultivation and conservation of orchid species, it is important to assess the physiological quality of orchid seeds. One of the most traditional tests for analysing seed quality is the tetrazolium test, whose effectiveness is known to improve with pre-treatment of the seeds. As a result, this study compared various pre-treatments to determine how efficient they were at optimising the tetrazolium test in seeds belonging to Cyrtochilum aemulun, Elleanthus aurantiacus and Lephantes sp. The experiment was based on five different pre-treatment solutions, after which the seeds were exposed to tetrazolium at two different concentrations and for three different exposure times. First, the seeds were soaked for ten minutes in one of five pre-treatment solutions: chlorine 0.5%, chlorine 1%, deionised water, sucrose solution 10% (w/v) or a control in which no pre-treatment was applied. After pre-treatment, the seeds were soaked in the dark in a tetrazolium solution, either at 0.25% concentration or at 1.0% concentration, and for either 6, 24 or 48 hours. The control seeds exposed to no pre-treatment showed an increase in the viability of Lephantes sp. at significant difference from the pre-treated seeds. Similarly, pre-treatment with 10% sucrose produced an increase in the tetrazolium test’s effectiveness in E.aurantiacus seeds, with significant differences from the control in most treatments. Therefore, the use of sucrose as a pre-treatment is recommended, in addition to increasing the concentration and exposure time of the seeds.

Seed viability testing for research and conservation of epiphytic and terrestrial orchids

“…Orchid conservation efforts heavily rely on seed banking as a conservation tool. Most of the studies on orchid seeds have only used the TTC test for assessing viability in both epiphytic and terrestrial species (Hu et al 2013 ; Lakon 1949 ; Mercado et al 2020b ). However, which test is best suited for correctly estimating seed viability could vary based on lifeforms.…”

Efecto de los elementos menores en la calidad molinera del arroz (Oryza sativa L.) variedad F-2000

“…Antes de la siembra se implementó un pase de rastra para mejorar la aireación del suelo e incorporar los residuos del control de malezas. La prueba de germinación se realizó con 100 semillas tomadas al azar con tres replicas (Mercado et al, 2020;Salazar et al, 2020a;Salazar et al, 2020b;Salazar-Mercado et al, 2020). Todas estas semillas fueron previamente sumergidas en agua durante dos días para hidratarlas e inducir la germinación.…”

Determinación de la viabilidad de semillas de capsicum annuum L usando la prueba de tetrazolio

“…Se recomienda la reducir de la concentración de tetrazolio, como alternativa para disminuir el costo de la prueba en el genero Capsicum. Del mismo modo, se propone la utilización de pretratamientos en las semillas de C. annuum, según lo propuesto por Salazar et al [62], donde el uso de Sacarosa y Cloro al 10%, aumento la eficiencia de la prueba de tetrazolio.…”