Controlled Deterioration Test as a Method for Vigor Assessment and Emergence Predicting of Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Seeds in the Field

The need to identifying seeds with low vigor and poor emergence, led to introduce of various seed vigor tests. The purpose of this experiment was to assess the ability of controlled deterioration test for evaluation of seed vigor and prediction of oilseed rape seedlots emergence in the field. Samples of 19 seed lots were obtained from nineteen farmers of Razavi and Northern Khorasan Provinces, which have been cultivated during 2009-2010 growth season, set to physiological germination test before and after controlled deterioration (CD). The estimating of seedling emergence percentage of each seed lot in the field, calculated 30 days after sowing. The correlation between laboratory results before and after CD of seeds and field emergence showed that correlation of final germination, normal seedlings and mean germination time before CD with emergence in the field respectively with 0.072, 0.24 and 0.042 correlation coefficient, were not significant, but laboratory results after CD had significant correlation with emergence of seedlots in the field. As, final germination, normal seedlings and mean germination time respectively with 0.57, 0.51 and 0.49 correlation coefficient predict emergence percentage of seed lots in the field. High correlation between laboratory results after controlled deteriorated test with seedling emergence in the field indicated that the CD test is able to assess the field emergence of oilseed rape seed lots before sowing.