Effect of temperature and storage conditions on viability and longevity of recalcitrant (Homoiohydrous) sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. F) seeds Yadav V. K.1, Khare P. K.2 1Department of Botany, D.V. P. G. College, Orai, 285001 (U.P.), India. 2Department of Botany, Dr. H.S. Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, 470003 (M.P.) India Online published on 11 January, 2012. Abstract The effect of five storage conditions viz., open, closed, partial vacuum, with calcium chloride and silica gel under three temperature regimes of 10°C, 15°C and ambient temperature were observed on freshly collected sal (Shorea robusta Gaernt. F.) seeds. The initial seed moisture content and germination was 45.5% and 100% respectively. Among all the storage conditions, seeds stored at 10°C showed a rapid decline in moisture content upto 10 days. Maximum seed moisture retention was found with storage in closed and partial vacuum conditions at 15°C after 50 days of storage, which also showed maximum viability/germinability (30% and 42% respectively). Statistically significant interaction was observed between storage temperature and storage period. Slow desiccation leads to good storage and longevity of seeds. Top Key words: Recalcitrant, Storage physiology, Moisture content, Shorea robusta. Top |