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Association between biometric characteristics of tomato seeds and seedling growth and development
Peñaloza, Patricia & Durán, José María
Abstract
Background: The size and weight of tomato seeds depend on genetics and can be modified by environment and
management. In some species, a strong relation has been described between physical aspects of the seeds and the
quality of the corresponding seedlings, but this cannot be considered a general rule. The objective of this research
was to identify any association between the biometric characteristics of tomato seeds and the growth and
development of their seedlings.
Results: A total of 18 lots of hybrid tomato seeds were used (from indeterminate plants with round fruits),
belonging to six varieties from two reproduction seasons. Each lot was evaluated for seed size and weight, and
seed quality, in terms of the germination test (5 and 14 d after sowing). The number of normal roots emerged
with a length above 2 mm was also evaluated at d 3, 4 and 5 after sowing. The length of the seedlings and
their total and partial dry weight were measured 5 d after sowing. The results indicate that there was no
association between seed size and weight and subsequent seedling emergence, and only weak correlations
were found between the dry weight of the radicle and cotyledon and seed size.
Conclusion: There is little association between the physical characteristics of the seeds and the subsequent
seedlings, making it impossible to propose the use of seed weight or size as a compliment to quality
evaluation tests.
Keywords
Seed size; Seed weight; Seedling emergence; Seedling length; Seedlings dry weight; Solanum lycopersicum L.
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