The Influence of Environmental Conditions on the Germination and Vigor of Three Peanut Cultivars.

High germination and vigor of peanut seeds are important constituents to overall successful peanut production. Exposure of seeds to unfavorable conditions of temperatures and relative humidity (RH) over time can result in loss of germination and vigor. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of storage environment on germination and vigor of runner-type peanut seed. The experiment was conducted at the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, GA in 2018. Four storage environments were evaluated in this study: two storage environments had extreme diurnal fluctuations in temperature and RH and two had a more stable temperatures and RH. Seed from three cultivars (GA-06G, GA-09B, & GA-14N) were maintained in each respective storage environment for one month. Sub-samples of each cultivar were taken from each storage environment starting at 30 days after initial storage and continued every 14 days for a total of 4 sampling dates. The sub-samples were maintained in a cold room until germination and vigor measurements were taken. Seed germination and vigor were evaluated using a thermal gradient table with temperature ranges of 13 to 32.5 °C. Seeds were placed in Petri-dishes and incubated for a total of 7 days. The number of germinated seeds were counted daily up to five consecutive days starting on day three. Storage environment affected peanut seed germination. Seeds stored in temperature ranges of 17 to 42 °C experienced higher diurnal fluctuations and RH throughout May and early June compared to seeds stored in more controlled environments. Seeds stored in more consistent environments for temperature and RH had the highest germination percentage throughout the four sample dates. This study suggested that storage environments having extreme diurnal fluctuations negatively affect germination and vigor over time when compared to more consistent storage environments.