EFFECT OF LONG-TERM STORAGE OF PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.) SEEDS ON THEIR VIABILITY MEASURED BY SELECTED THERMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS

Abstract

The main goal of the present study was to investigate the changes in viability potential and selected thermodynamic parameters of peppers seeds in aging during storage as well as the relationship between them. The water content and storage temperature of seeds were used for determining differential thermodynamic parameters: Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy. The experiments were carried out with aging pepper seeds stored in ambient (uncontrolled) conditions for 132 months. It was found that the viability potential deteriorated more rapidly after 4–5 years of storage. Thermodynamic parameters – differential enthalpy and entropy, and free energy decreased with decline of germination. Therefore these parameters can be used as means for better understanding of aging processes and this is of great importance for agricultural practice because it allows more detailed description and prediction of the deterioration of pepper seeds during long-term storage.

Keywords

• seed germination
• enthalpy
• entropy
• Gibbs free energy
• seed longevity
• seed moisture