An early count predictive of the germinative capacity of carrot seeds

The GEVES germination laboratory has been working for several years on setting up a test to predict the germinative capacity of seeds. The aim is to find a shorter test to predict the germination capacity of a batch of seed.

An initial phase of the study revealed that cucumbers are a species for which a very good correlation has been demonstrated between germination capacity and an early germination count, along with oilseed rape, peppers and ryegrass.

A more recent study has defined a predictable early germination count for carrot seeds.

The germination capacity of carrots is evaluated in accordance with ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) rules, which define a final count after 14 days at a temperature of 20⇔30°C on pleated paper.

Laboratory trials showed that counting radicle emergence after 7 days at 20⇔30°C was correlated with final germination capacity. Validation on 40 samples from very different varieties and batches confirmed the initial observations and showed a correlation between early counting at 7 days and germination capacity at 14 days.

Early counting at 7 days is predictable on average at 94% of germination capacity after 14 days at 20⇔30°C on carrots.

This method is interesting because it allows carrot seed germination to be assessed more quickly. As with other species, this method can also be easily automated using imaging tools (RGB or multispectral).