HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hopper, N. W. Articles by Hinton, H. R. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hopper, N. W. Articles by Hinton, H. R. Agricola Articles by Hopper, N. W. Articles by Hinton, H. R.

Electrical Conductivity as a Measure of Planting Seed Quality in Cotton¹

Determining planting seed quality generally involves conducting a standard germination test or a tetrazolium test. The development of the Automatic Seed Analyzer (ASA-610) has renewed interest in using electrical conductivity (EC) as a measure of seed viability. The purposes of this study were: (i) to evaluate the ASA-610 in measuring the EC of various salt solutions, and (ii) to evaluate the ASA-610 in assessing the planting seed quality of cottonseeds (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The EC of four sodium chloride solutions (10, 100, 500, and 1000 mg L^–1) was measured at 10,20, and 30°C using the ASA-610 and a Barnstead conductivity bridge (BCB). The BCB EC increased linearly as the salt concentration was increased at each of the temperatures. A linear increase in the EC was noted also with increased salt concentrations using the ASA-610. In Exp. 1, the EC values, as indicated by the ASA-610, of 15 cultivars increased as the seed soak time increased from 0.5 to 24 h. The best prediction of the planting seed quality resulted from soaking the seeds for 16 h and using 55 µA as the partition value (germination test values for 11 of the 15 cultivars predicted to within 10 percentage units). In Exp. 2, nine seed lots of marginal quality were evaluated using the ASA-610 after soaking the seed for 16, 20, and 24 h. The best estimate of the standard germination resulted from soaking seeds for 20 h and using a partition value of 33 µA (germination predicted to within 10 percentage units for five of nine seed lots). The lack of consistency in selecting a unique partition value between the two studies would indicate difficulty in accurately assessing planting seed quality of cotton using the ASA-610.

Key Words: Gossypium hirsutum L. • Germination • Imbibition • Exudate • Leachate

² Associate professor and former graduate research assistant, respectively. Dep. of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX 79409. Second author's current address is Rt. 4, Box 79, Floydada, TX 79235.

Received for publication February 3, 1986.