Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T02:53:45.397Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Rapid Method for Enumeration of Viable Seeds in Soil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Charles R. Malone
Charles R. Malone*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Rutgers-The State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Get access

Abstract

Soil dispersion in an aqueous solution of sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium bicarbonate facilitates extraction of seeds by flotation with megnesium sulphate. The percentage viability of seeds collected in this manner subsequently can be determined with 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride. Extraction of seeds usually is 100% efficient and enumeration of viable seeds via the tetrazolium test is accomplished much more rapidly than with conventional methods.

Type
Brief Papers
Information
Weeds , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , October 1967 , pp. 381 - 382
Copyright
Copyright © 1967 Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

1. Brenchley, W. E. and Warington, K. 1930. The weed seed population of arable soil. I. Numerical estimation of viable seeds and observations on their natural dormancy. J. Ecol. 18:235–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Champness, S. S. 1949. Notes on the technique of sampling soil to determine the content of buried viable seeds. J. Brit. Grassl. Soc. 4:115–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Colbry, V. L., Swofford, T. S., and Moore, R. P. 1961. Tests for germination in the laboratory, p. 433–443. In Seeds. The Yearbook of Agriculture, 1961. U. S. Dep. Agr., Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
4. Major, J. and Pyott, W. T. 1966. Buried, viable seeds in two California bunchgrass sites and their bearing on the definition of a flora. Vegetatio Acta Geobotanica 13:253–282.Google Scholar
5. Robinson, E. L. and Kust, C. A. 1962. Distribution of witchweed seeds in the soil. Weeds 10:335.Google Scholar