Advanced capabilities of non-invasive assessment of seed quality and growth potential on the example of garden spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

The efficiency of production of high quality plant products in scalable phytotechcomplexes and other protected ground facilities is largely determined by the quality and safety of seed material. An obligatory and necessary condition is the presence in the composition of phytotechcomplexes and facilities of protected ground Block of biologically complete seeds, which under other technical conditions will ensure the efficiency, reliability and competitiveness of production. In the present work, for the first time, radiographic features of the internal structure of spinach seeds were identified in relation to their viability, and the concordance of the results of radiographic analysis of seed defectiveness with those from laboratory germination was shown. The aim of the work was to develop a methodology for evaluation and selection of the most biologically valuable seed material on the basis of hardware-software microfocus radiography using techniques of visual and automatic analysis of digital X-ray images of vegetable seeds (spinach as an example), intended for sowing in phytotechcomplexes and other protected facilities. Spinach seeds of Stoick variety from the collection of the Federal Scientific Center of Vegetable Growing served as a model. X-ray imaging was carried out using an X-ray microscope RM-1. The analysis of the obtained digital X-ray images of spinach was performed visually and using the software VideoTesT-Morphology (ArgusSoft Ltd., Russia). The following parameters of digital X-ray images of seeds were analyzed: average brightness (brightness units), standard deviation of brightness (brightness units). Sowing qualities of seeds were evaluated according to GOST 12038-84. Additionally, root and shoot length indices were measured using the VideoTesT-Morphology software. The characteristics of the methodology of visual and automatic interpretation of digital X-ray images of spinach seeds with computer-assisted morphometry of seedlings are presented. It was found that defective seeds identified by X-ray analysis completely corresponded with non-viable seeds according to the germination test. Correlation analysis of brightness parameters of digital X-ray images of spinach seeds of Stoick variety with their growth parameters revealed the following patterns: correlation coefficient of mean brightness of digital X-ray images and root length was r = 0.49 (p function show_eabstract() { $('#eabstract1').hide(); $('#eabstract2').show(); $('#eabstract_expand').hide(); }