The germination of grass seeds after storage at different temperatures in aluminium foil and manilla paper packets

The germination of seeds of three species of forage grasses, Lolium perenne, Festuca pratensis and Dactylis glomerata, was studied after storage for 3–5 years under five different storage conditions: in aluminium foil packets at —25°C, 0°C and laboratory temperature (c. 18°C), and in manilla paper packets at 0°C and laboratory temperature. With Lolium perenne and Festuca pratensis high germination values at 3 and 7 days were obtained from seed stored at — 25 °C and 0°C in foil packets (5% moisture), but at laboratory temperatures, seed from foil packets gave lower germination values than those from manilla paper packets. At all three temperatures Dactylis glomerata germination after 7 and 14 days was higher in seed stored in foil than in manilla packages. With all three species stored in manilla packets, germination was higher after laboratory than cold storage.