Physiology of Plants Affected by Ageing

Ageing of the stored seed is a natural phenomenon and the seeds tend to lose viability even under ideal storage conditions. Accelerated ageing has been recognized as a good predictor of the storability of seed lots. Aged seeds show decreased vigor and produce weak seedlings that are unable to survive once reintroduced into a habitat. The characteristics of the chemical composition of oil crops (soybean and sunflower) are related to specific processes occurring in seed during storage. Lipid auto-oxidation and increase of free fatty acid content during storage are the most often mentioned reasons for accelerated damage of seed of oily plant species.