Soybean seed viability and changes of fatty acids content as affected by seed aging

The characteristics of soybean seed chemical composition are related to specific processes occurring in seed during storage. These changes lead to seed aging during storage and affect seed vigour and content of fatty acids. In order to reveal severity of their influence, the following vigour tests were applied: Standard laboratory germination test, cold test, Hiltner test as well as accelerated aging test for three and five days. Six soybean varieties submitted to natural aging process for six and 12 months were tested under conventional storage and controlled storage conditions. Different periods of seed storage, as well as storage conditions adversely affected the seed vigour and fatty acids content, especially linoleic acid. The most reliable results were obtained by cold test and the symptoms observed during accelerated aging test can be used to characterize the degree of aging and storability of soybean seed.Key words: Aging, fatty acids, lipid peroxidation, soybean seed, vigour