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Application of oxygen-sensing technology to measure seed quality of Ginkgo biloba

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Abstract

Germination tests are currently the most widely used method to evaluate seed quality of Ginkgo biloba L., but they are time-consuming and labor intensive. Oxygen-sensing technology, based on the principle of fluorescence quenching to detect oxygen and assess seed quality was used to rapidly evaluate seed quality of two varieties (Shandong Tancheng 202 and Zhejiang Dafoshou) of G. biloba from five mother plants. Fifteen samples of three vigor levels were produced by accelerated aging treatments. This process was applied in duplicate. A portable oxygen-sensing detector was employed to measure oxygen content during seed germination in a closed system at 25 °C each day until day 14. Four oxygen metabolism indices were calculated: oxygen consumption index, oxygen consumption rate, critical oxygen concentration, and theoretical germination time (T GT). Additionally, we tested laboratory germination and field emergence. The results of a one-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis showed that T GT was the candidate index to evaluate seed quality of G. biloba. Therefore, the T GT value was used to validate the reliability of oxygen-sensing evaluation for Zhejiang Dafoshou seeds kept under four storage conditions. The trend in the change in oxygen metabolism agreed completely agreement with that of seed germination under all storage conditions. The oxygen-sensing test reliably and rapidly assessed seed quality of G. biloba. The germination rate of Zhejiang Dafoshou was accurately predicted by T GT.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Zhu Zhujun of Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University and Johan van Asbrouck, FreekSchreurs, and Shi Huixin of the Netherlands ASTEC Global Seed Technology Corporation for the support on oxygen-sensing technology.

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Correspondence to Guangwu Zhao.

Additional information

Project funding: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371712, 30800890), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LY13C130011, LY13C16007), Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (201303002), the Graduate Special Fund Innovative Projects of Jiangxi Province (YC2014-B035), and the University Teachers’ Professional Development Project of Zhejiang Province (FX2015050).

The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding editor: Zhu Hong

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Zhong, T., Zhao, G. Application of oxygen-sensing technology to measure seed quality of Ginkgo biloba . J. For. Res. 28, 725–731 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-016-0351-x

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