Am. Steiner et P. Ruckenbauer, GERMINATION OF 110-YEAR-OLD CEREAL AND WEED SEEDS, THE VIENNA SAMPLE OF 1877 - VERIFICATION OF EFFECTIVE ULTRA-DRY STORAGE AT AMBIENT-TEMPERATURE, Seed science research, 5(4), 1995, pp. 195-199
After 110 years of hermetic sealed storage at temperatures between 10
and 15 degrees C and at a moisture content of 3.12%, Hordeum vulgare s
howed 90% germination and Avena sativa 81%. In addition, some seeds of
Agrostemma githago, Lolium temulentum, Sinapis alba, Sinapis arvensis
, and Vaccaria hispanica were still capable of germinating. This demon
strates that ultra-dry, long-term seed storage under ambient temperatu
re conditions can successfully be achieved with the intention of cutti
ng down risks and costs in germplasm conservation.