Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Department of Statistics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Jun 29;24(13):4235. doi: 10.3390/s24134235.
The decline in seed quality over time due to natural aging or mishandling requires assessing seed vigor for resilience in adverse conditions. Accelerated aging (AA) methods simulate seed deterioration by subjecting seeds to high temperatures and humidity. Saturated salt accelerated aging (SSAA) is an AA method adopted for small seeds like lettuce (). In this study, we subjected seeds of two lettuce cultivars ('Muir' and 'Bauer') to SSAA by sealing them in a box containing 40 g/100 mL of a sodium chloride (NaCl) solution in a dark growth chamber at 41 °C for 24, 48, and 72 h with a control. We monitored their vigor using embedded computer cameras, tracking the projected canopy size (PCS) daily from sowing to harvest. The cultivar 'Muir' exhibited consistent PCS values across the treatments, while 'Bauer' showed PCS variations, with notable declines after prolonged aging. The germination rates dropped significantly after 48 and 72 h of SSAA. A nonlinear regression model revealed a strong relationship between PCS and shoot dry weight across harvests and cultivars ( = 0.93, = 0.15, < 0.001). The research found that the projected canopy size and shoot dry weight increased over time with significant differences in treatments for the cultivar 'Bauer' but not for 'Muir,' with the canopy size being a strong predictor of dry weight and no significant impact from the SSAA treatments. This study highlights cultivar-specific responses to aging and demonstrates the efficacy of our imaging tool in predicting lettuce dry weight despite treatment variations. Understanding how aging affects different lettuce varieties is crucial for seed management and crop sustainability.
随着时间的推移，种子质量会因自然老化或处理不当而下降，因此需要评估种子活力，以应对逆境。加速老化 (AA) 方法通过将种子置于高温高湿环境中来模拟种子劣化。饱和盐加速老化 (SSAA) 是一种适用于生菜等小种子的 AA 方法。在这项研究中，我们将两种生菜品种（“Muir”和“Bauer”）的种子密封在一个盒子里，盒子里装有 40 g/100 mL 的氯化钠 (NaCl) 溶液，然后将其置于黑暗生长室中 41°C 下进行 SSAA，处理时间分别为 24、48 和 72 小时，同时设置对照。我们使用嵌入式计算机摄像头监测种子活力，从播种到收获每天跟踪投影冠层大小 (PCS)。品种“Muir”在整个处理过程中表现出一致的 PCS 值，而“Bauer”则表现出 PCS 变化，经过长时间老化后明显下降。SSAA 处理 48 和 72 小时后，发芽率显著下降。非线性回归模型揭示了 PCS 与收获时和不同品种间的芽干重之间的强相关性（=0.93，=0.15，<0.001）。研究发现，随着时间的推移，投影冠层大小和芽干重逐渐增加，“Bauer”品种的处理间存在显著差异，但“Muir”品种则没有，冠层大小是干重的有力预测因子，SSAA 处理没有显著影响。本研究强调了品种对老化的特异性反应，并展示了我们的成像工具在预测生菜干重方面的有效性，尽管处理存在差异。了解老化如何影响不同的生菜品种对于种子管理和作物可持续性至关重要。
