TECHNICAL NOTE - MEASURING MOISTURE-CONTENT OF SMALL SEEDS

An accurate determination of moisture content in hydrated or partially hydrated seeds is fundamental to understanding early physiological pr ocesses in seeds, and the associated environmental interactions that a ffect seedling vigor, establishment, and survival, One difficulty enco untered while measuring the moisture content of imbibed seeds is that water evaporates from the seed during weighing, This is particularly s ignificant for small seeds became they have a large surface area to vo lume ratio, We developed a procedure using a standard tin capsule and microbalance which was simple, inexpensive, facilitated precise measur ement of moisture in hydrated seeds, and provided reliable results wit h a minimal amount of seeds, The method is recommended as a means for increasing the accuracy of seed weight and seed moisture measurements.