Studies on Seed Vigor and Antioxidant Ability of Chinese Onion Seed Stored with Different Moisture Contents

The seeds of three varieties of Chinese onion were dried to different moisture contents and stored at ambient temperature for one year,and their vigor and antioxidant capacity were studied.When seed moisture content was reduced from about 10.0% to 8.5%~2.5%,seed germination rate,germination index,vigor index,SOD,POD and CAT were enhanced,while MDA and conductivity were decreased.With a seed moisture content of 4.5%~2.5%,the changes of the above indexes were observably different from those of the control.When seed moisture dropped to ≦2%,seed vigor and antioxidant capacity markedly decreased,thus indicating that moderate ultra-drying of Chinese onion seed was beneficial to seed vigor enhancement.Of the 3 varieties studied Liao 1 was the best for ultra-dry storage.