A Comparison of the Quantitative Effects of Seed Moisture Content and Temperature on the Accumulation of Chromosome Damage and Loss of Seed Viability in Lettuce

Abstract

The rate of accumulation of cells containing chromosome aberrations in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds is a positive function of temperature and moisture content. It may be described by an equation similar to that for loss of seed viability. The relative effect of temperature on the rates of loss of viability and accumulation of chromosome aberrations is the same. In contrast, the relative effect of moisture on the rate of loss of viability is greater than that for the rate of accumulation of aberrations. Hence considerably more chromosome damage accumulates before death in drier lettuce seeds