Evaluation of germination characteristics and durability of qareh alfalfa seeds under different storage conditions

In order to evaluate germination characteristics and shelf life of alfalfa seeds stored in different storage conditions, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a graduate laboratory of Urmia University of Agriculture. The experiments included relative humidity in six levels (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 %) and control (room humidity) and storage duration (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 months) with three replications. The studied traits included germination indices, seedling growth indices, and seed vigor and storage capability of seeds. The results showed that all germination indices were affected by relative humidity and storage duration. The interaction between moisture and storage duration was significant except for germination uniformity on all indices. The highest germination percentage was obtained in the control conditions (96.9 %), which reached 79.4 after 10 months of storage. Increasing the moisture content of the storage caused a significant decrease in the coefficient and uniformity of germination. The germination rate was the highest in the first month with the average of 0.071 per day, which had the lowest in 90 % relative humidity in the 10 months after storage to the average of 0.018 germs per day.