Viability of Seeds — A kamine 
45 
temperature and the relative humidity were 
maintained at 45° F. and 45 per cent, re- 
spectively. 
DISCUSSION 
If the longevity of the seeds of all species 
under all conditions of storage is considered 
as a whole, it will be seen that these seeds fall 
in one of the following groups: long-lived 
seed, medium-lived seed, and short-lived seed. 
The seed of mamani falls in the first group. In 
the second category fall the seeds of paper 
bark, turpentine tree, and brush box. The 
seeds of Monterey cypress, Indian sandal- 
wood, and Norfolk Island pine are short- 
lived. 
The retention of viability by the seed of 
mamani was probably due to the impervious 
nature of its seedcoat, which interfered with 
the uptake of moisture and with respiration. 
It will be remembered that this seed required 
scarification for germination. Generally speak- 
ing, regardless of the condition of storage, 
this seed maintained its viability for 314 years 
(Fig- 5). 
In general, among the medium-lived seeds, 
the seeds of paper bark and turpentine tree 
maintained their viability in storage for 4 
years, slightly better than the seed of brush 
box (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). 
In general, among the short-lived seeds, the 
seed of Monterey cypress retained its viability 
better than that of Indian sandalwood, which 
in turn maintained its viability better than the 
seed of Norfolk Island pine (Figs. 4, 6, and 
7). 
Although different species reacted some- 
what differently toward the various storage 
conditions, in general, the lower relative hu- 
midities were more conducive than the higher 
humidities to the preservation of viability. 
There were, however, two species (Monterey 
cypress and Norfolk Island pine) which were 
exceptions to this statement. Monterey cy- 
press seed stored at 30 per cent relative hu- 
midity at room temperature did not maintain 
its viability any better than that stored at 90 
per cent relative humidity at this temperature 
(Fig. 6). The 30 per cent relative humidity at 
59° F. was the least effective storage medium 
for this seed. At a temperature of 45° F., the 
30 per cent relative humidity was also the 
least effective storage medium for the seed of 
Norfolk Island pine (Fig. 4). 
SUMMARY 
The effects of temperature and relative 
humidity on longevity of seeds of seven forest 
tree species in storage for several years were 
studied. 
Although seeds of different species reacted 
somewhat differently toward the various stor- 
age conditions, in general it can be stated 
that the longevity of these seeds can be main- 
tained in Hawaii if the temperature of the 
storage medium is maintained at a lower level 
than that of the prevailing atmosphere (70°- 
80° F.), if the relative humidity is maintained 
at a lower level than that of the prevailing at- 
mosphere (66-71 per cent), or if both the 
temperature and relative humidity are main- 
tained at lower levels than those of the air. 
The following were found to be the opti- 
mum media for the storage of seeds of the 
individual species in Hawaii: 
Paper bark— Relative humidity of 45 per 
cent at room temperature or open stor- 
age at 59° F. 
Brush box — Relative humidity of 45 per 
cent at room temperature or airtight stor- 
age at 45° F. 
Turpentine tree — Relative humidity of 45 
per cent at 59° F. 
Norfolk Island pine — Relative humidity of 
60 per cent at 45° F. 
Mamani — Open storage at 59° F. 
Monterey cypress — Open storage at 45° F. 
Indian sandalwood — Relative humidity of 
45 per cent at 45° F. 
REFERENCES 
Akamine, E. K. 1942. Methods of increasing 
the germination of koahaole seed. Hawaii Agr. 
Expt. Sta. Cir. 21: 1-14. 
