Osmoconditioning and Ageing of Pepper Seeds During Storage

The effects of osmoconditioning on the germination at 15 and 25 °C of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds were studied over a 3-year period with respect to temperature of storage. Untreated seeds stored at 5 °C showed high germinability throughout the entire storage period, whereas untreated seeds stored at 25 °C showed a progressive decline in germinability, especially when assayed at 15 °C. Seeds that had been osmoconditioned prior to storage retained a high level of germinability irrespective of either storage or germination temperatures. When seeds that had been stored at 25 °C were osmoconditioned after storage, there was a significantly higher germinability (assayed at 15 °C) in comparison with the corresponding untreated seeds. Seeds that were osmoconditioned twice (prior to and after storage) germinated in a similar way to those that had been osmoconditioned once only