VOLUME LXIII 



NUMBER 3 



THE 



Botanical 



Gazette 



MARCH 1917 



temperature and life duration of seeds 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE HULL BOTANICAL LABORATORY 226 



James Frederick Groves 



(with FIVE figures) 



Introduction 



In this investigation I have sought to determine the extent to 

 which a study of the laws of the life duration of seeds at high 

 temperatures (50-100 C.) will explain the process of degeneration 

 of air-dried seeds at ordinary storage temperatures. In this con- 

 nection it seemed especially desirable to determine: (a) the tem- 

 perature coefficient (Q I0 ) for the death rate or life duration of seeds; 

 (b) to what extent the formula which Lepeschkin (22) applied 

 as a time-temperature formula for the coagulation of proteins and 

 as a life duration-temperature formula for active living plant cells 

 can be applied as a life duration-temperature formula to dry seeds; 

 and (c) how far the temperature coefficient (Q I0 ) on the one hand, 

 and the Lepeschkin formula on the other, when applied to actual 

 measurements at high temperatures serve as a means of approxi- 

 mating the life duration of air-dried seeds at ordinary storage 

 temperatures. With these questions in mind a number of deter- 

 minations have been made on wheat of the Turkey-red variety. 



Historical 



The effects of high tempera tun 

 the attention of investigators. In 



Just 



Trifolium prate n 



showed that 

 C, and that 





169 



