Physiology of Plants Affected by Ageing

Objective: Ageing of the stored seed is a natural phenomenon and the seeds tend to lose viability even under ideal storage conditions. Accelerated ageing has been recognized as a good predictor of the storability of seed lots. Aged seeds show decreased vigor and produce weak seedlings that are unable to survive once reintroduced into a habitat. The characteristics of the chemical composition of oil crops (soybean and sunflower) are related to specific processes occurring in seed during storage. Lipid autooxidation and increase of free fatty acid content during storage are the most often mentioned reasons for accelerated damage of seed of oily plant species.