Viability and Vigour of Soybean Seed (Glycine max (L.) Merril)

Soybean seed viability and vigour are some of the major constraints in soybean production because considerable amount become downgraded due to improper storage. The germination potential is very short lived in soybean as compared to other oil seed crops and is often reduced prior to planting time. This loss of germination is much more acute under tropical conditions. Seed deterioration is one of the basic reasons for low productivity in soybean. Based on conditions under which this work was conducted, it can be concluded that soybean seed undergo deterioration with the rate dependent on storage temperature and crop species. Storability among storage materials varied with bottle storage giving the better storage. Also, there were variations among soybean varieties on viability and vigour as well as among the environmental conditions. However, cold storage gave the best in preserving viability and vigour of soybean seed. The result of this work will give the farmers researchers and seed producers a better option of material and environmental condition to be used for storing seeds especially in the tropics, because seeds are frequently stored from one year to another.