Ethanol release as an indicator of seed vigour in radish, pepper, watermelon, aubergine, leek and onion seed lots

Ethanol release was tested in relation to seed vigour measured by seedling emergence and controlled deterioration tolerance in radish, pepper, watermelon, aubergine, leek and onion seed lots. Ethanol release, measured with six lots from each species after four and eight hours at 40°C and 30% seed moisture, was highly negatively correlated with controlled deterioration tolerance (45°C, 48 hours, 20% seed moisture) in radish (r = 0.05, P < 0.05), with seedling emergence in watermelon (r = 0.99, P < 0.01) and to both traits in pepper (r = 0.87 to 0.94, P < 0.05), but not with any variable for aubergine and leek. One single case was significant between ethanol release after eight hours and controlled deterioration for onion seeds. Results indicate that there is a relationship between ethanol release and seed vigour, but this appears to be species dependent.