Use of radiographic images for rapid and non-destructive assessment of crambe seed quality

Abstract: Technologies based on electromagnetic radiation, such as the X-ray technique, has contributed to the establishment of new and promising methodologies for evaluating seed quality. This study aimed to relate parameters based on semi-automated analysis of radiographs of crambe seeds to their physiological quality. Radiographic images of seeds from 10 seed lots of cultivar FMS Brilhante were semi-automatically analyzed using ImageJ® software. Measurements of morphometric characteristics and tissue integrity were obtained for the seeds, as well as individually for the seed embryo. Following X-ray test, the seeds were subject to germination and seedling growth test. It was possible to visualize the internal structures of the seeds in the radiographs. There were differences in the physical parameters obtained by the semi-automated analysis of the radiographs between the seed lots. Also, the lots differed regarding the physiological quality of the seeds. Morphometric characteristics and tissue integrity, especially for the seed embryo, showed high correlation with the seed physiological quality. Therefore, this work presents an efficient approach to rapid and non-destructively assess the quality of crambe seeds.