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Dormancy and Viability of Witchweed Seeds as Affected by Temperature and Relative Humidity during Storage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Cyril A. Kust
Cyril A. Kust*
Affiliation:
Plant Pest Control Division, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Witchweed Laboratory, Whiteville, North Carolina, in cooperation with the Crops Research Division Department of Agronomy, The University of Wisconsin, Madison 6, Wisconsin
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Abstract

The temperature at which seeds of witchweed (Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze), an obligate parasite, were stored markedly influenced the length of time that the seeds remained dormant. Dormancy was broken completely by storing seeds collected in August, 1960, at 88 F for 6 weeks, at 75 for 24 weeks, at 40 for 32 weeks and at 0 F for 40 weeks. Seed viability was lost rapidly when the storage of seeds was continued at 88 or 100 F plus 100% relative humidity after seed dormancy had been broken. All of the seeds stored under those conditions were non-viable within 20 weeks after storage began. The viability of seeds stored at 75, 40 or 0 F had not decreased after 26 months for 1960 seeds. Seeds collected in 1961 and stored at those three temperatures or at 88 F plus 20% relative humidity for 14 months did not decrease in per cent viability. A hypothesis on the physiology of the dormancy, viability, and germination of witchweed seeds is presented.

Type
Research Article
Information
Weeds , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , October 1963 , pp. 247 - 250
Copyright
Copyright © 1963 Weed Science Society of America 

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References

Literature Cited

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