Abstract
Two hundred twenty‐eight lots of alfalfa (Medicago spp.) seed, ranging in age from 23 to 70 years (stored between 1906 and 1953) were tested for germination. A seed lot represented a plant introduction or open‐pollinated seed from a single plant. The seed had been stored in unheated and uninsulated buildings at Belle Fourche, S. D., and Mandan. N. D. One M. falcata L. seed lot germinated 27% awter 68 years and a second lot germinated 48% after 66 years of storage. For M. sativa L., one seed lot germinated 7% after 70 years and a second lot germinated 30% after 62 years of storage. Medicago falcata, in most instances, retained seed viability longer than did M. sativa. Significant variation between seed lots of the same species harvested the same year suggests that seed longevity may be genetically controlled. This hypothesis is supported by wide differences in seed longevity of M. sativa and M. falcata. When germination percentage was regressed on years of storage, a correlation coefficient of —0.95 and a linear regression coefficient of —2.23 were found for M. sativa and some of its hybrids. Coefficients were significant at a >0.0001 probability level. Every year of storage between 30 to 70 years presupposed a 2.23% decline in seed germination.
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