44 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. V, January, 1951 
30 and 45 per cent and in open storage, the 
lower the temperature the longer the seed re- 
mains viable. At a relative humidity of 60 per 
cent and with airtight storage, the three stor- 
age temperatures were equally effective in 
preserving the viability of the seed. At 75 per 
cent relative humidity, temperatures of 45° 
and 59° F. were equally more effective than 
room temperature. At 90 per cent relative 
humidity, 59° F. was more effective than 45° 
F., which in turn was more effective than 
room temperature. 
From the above considerations, it seemed 
that storing the seed of Monterey cypress in 
the open at 45° F. prolonged the life span of 
this seed better than storing under any other 
condition. 
Indian sandalwood seed 
Because of the limited supply of Indian 
sandalwood seed, only a few seeds were used 
in the germination tests (Table 1). Neverthe- 
less, the results obtained seemed reliable. 
The germination status of this seed at vari- 
ous periods of storage under varying condi- 
tions is depicted graphically in Figure 7, 
which indicates that at room temperature, the 
low relative humidities of 30, 45, and 60 per 
cent seemed to be the optimum storage 
media. The high relative humidities of 75 and 
90 per cent were the least effective in preserv- 
ing the life of the seed. The airtight storage 
and open storage were intermediate between 
these humidity groups in this respect. At 
59° F., the lower the relative humidity the 
longer the seed kept viable. The airtight stor- 
age and open storage were less effective than 
the 45 per cent relative humidity but more 
effective than the 60 per cent humidity at this 
temperature. In general, the lower relative 
humidities were more effective than the 
higher humidities in maintaining the viability 
of the seed at 45° F. The optimum relative 
humidity was probably 45 per cent. Seeds 
stored in airtight containers and in the open 
retained their viability approximately to the 
z 
GERMINATION DATE 
Fig. 7. The effect of temperature and relative humid- 
ity on the viability of stored Indian sandalwood seed. 
same degree as those stored at the relative 
humidity of 60 per cent at this temperature. 
When the germination curves of the seeds 
stored at the same humidities at each temper- 
ature are compared with each other, it will be 
seen that at relative humidities of 30, 45, and 
60 per cent, 45° F. was more effective than 
59° F., which in turn was more effective than 
room temperature in maintaining the via- 
bility of the seed (Fig. 7). At a relative hu- 
midity of 75 per cent, 45° and 59° F. were 
equally more effective than room tempera- 
ture. At a relative humidity of 90 per cent, 
the three temperatures were equal in effec- 
tiveness. In airtight storage and in open stor- 
age, the lower the temperature the longer the 
seed remained viable. 
From the above considerations, it can be 
stated that the optimum storage condition for 
Indian sandalwood seed was one in which the 
