The effect of treatment with vegetable oils on seed germination and shoot elongation

Seeds of 25 different plant species, mainly of crops with agronomic value, were treated with four vegetable oils, to evaluate the effects of these tre atments on seed germination and shoot elongation. The response to oil treat ment ranged from no inhibition of germination and elongation in seeds, such as oil-seeds, to almost complete inhibition of both germination and shoot elongation (Allium cepa, Zea mays, Triticum aestivum). In most cases the ef fects of oil origin and composition were not significant. Oil treatment did not decrease water uptake by the seeds and did not prevent imbibition. The variable response to oil treatments among the different species could be r elated to their main storage metabolite.