Viable Seeds

[George R Stilwell, Jr.]

Both Anne and Pascal have described viable seeds quite well. However,
"viable" only means
there's a good chance they will germinate, it's not a guarantee.

The detergent in Pascal's float test is a must because surface tension
will support viable
seeds as well as non-viable seeds if their surface is not fully wetted.
The detergent helps
this.

Even so, some sinking seeds can be infected and will rot rather than
germinate. I usually
do a quick dip in 10% chlorox followed by a rinse when I suspect the
possibility of contamination.
Sometimes it actually works, but often the contamination is internal and
the seed is beyond
saving.

Ray
GRSJr at Juno.com

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