Legume Research

Accelerated ageing causes seeds to deteriorate that affect the seed quality of groundnut seeds. Seed deterioration will cause metabolic and chemical changes viz., lipid peroxidation and autoxidation, leading to loss of membrane integrity and enzyme activities. These changes are associated with reduced germination and vigour.

The groundnut seeds cv. VRI 8 was subjected for accelerated ageing at 40°C with 100% RH upto 11 days and evaluated the physiological and biochemical changes in groundnut seeds associated with accelerated ageing.

The germination and seed vigour of accelerated aged groundnut seeds exhibited declining trend which was well correlated with antioxidant enzyme activities viz., catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities whereas negatively correlated with electrical conductivity, electrolyte leakage and proline content. The decline in physiological and biochemical activity in accelerated aged seeds was associated with impairment in metabolic process caused by membrane damage during ageing and the inability of the seeds to repair and compensate the accumulated damage.