Chlorophyll fluorescence of Brassica oleracea seeds as a non-destructive marker for seed maturity and seed performance

A method is proposed for assessing the maturity and quality of seeds, based on measuring the amount of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) signals of intact seeds. In general, the amount of chlorophyll is directly related to the de greening process and thus the maturity. Cabbage seeds (Brassica oleracea va r, capitata) were separated into three subsamples based on the CF signals o f the individual intact seeds. Seeds with the lowest amount of CF had the h ighest percentage of germination and normal seedlings. In a controlled dete rioration test, the subsample with the lowest CF signal had slightly lower germination and normal seedling percentages than the non-treated seeds, whe reas the seeds with the highest CF signals had much lower germination and n ormal seedling percentages. Advantages of the CF method for determining see d maturity and seed quality are its high sensitivity and fully non-destruct ive nature and the high speed at which the fluorescence is generated and me asured.