Water Diffusivity of Germinating Soybean, Corn, and Cotton Seed1

Abstract

AbstractTheory and procedure are presented whereby the diffusivity of germinating seed can be calculated if certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions are (1) the ratio of amount of water absorbed at a given time to amount of water absorbed at the time of germination must exceed a certain, critical value for the ratio of the time required for germination to the time under consideration, and (2) the shape of the seed is assumed to be a sphere but the seed can deviate considerably from the shape of a sphere, for example, football shaped, without introducing appreciable error.The diffusivity of soybean seed germinating in aerated, distilled water was approximately four times larger than for corn seed and approximately 18 times larger than for cotton seed. The diffusivity of soybean and corn seed germinating in Zanesville silt loan soil at four moisture contents ranging from wilting percentage to field capacity was approximately equal at each soil moisture content. The diffusivity of each seed increased as soil moisture content increased. The diffusivity of cotton seed germinating in Zanesville silt loam soil could not be calculated because condition (1) above was not fulfilled.