Determination of seed vitality by high frequency electrophotography

The vitality of seeds may be tested by various methods, but the negative si de of almost all methods is their relatively long duration and harmful effe cts on the tested seeds. By applying high frequency electrophotography to s eed vitality tests the testing time can be much reduced and the vitality of the seeds / fruits preserved. The fruits of common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and common maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) were exposed to a high freque ncy electromagnetic field for a short time and photographed. On the photogr aphs the amplified electric potential of Living seeds was obtained and show ed the vitality of the seeds. A comparison between two methods of testing s eed vitality - high frequency electrophotography (HFEP) and the commonly us ed TTC method was made; both showed similar results. The advantages of the high frequency method are its shorter duration, lower price and undamaged s eed.