Changes of fatty acids content and vigor of sunflower seed during natural aging

Abstract

Sunflower seed aging during storage affects seed vigor and content of fatty acids. In order to reveal severity of their influence, the following vigor tests were applied: standard laboratory germination test, cold test and Hiltner test. Five sunflower lines submitted to natural aging process for six and 12 months were tested under conventional storage and controlled conditions. The obtained results revealed that seed aging damaged the seed, which adversely affected seed vigor; most reliable results were obtained by the cold test and content of linoleic acids.