Biospeckle Analysis for Evaluating the Effects of Temperature Regime on Seed Imbibition Characteristics

Biological changes in imbibition characteristics of seeds are occurring worldwide due to severe variations in environmental conditions, causing enormous ecological and economical losses. Imbibition temperature severely affects seed germination characteristics and results in marked reduction in crop production. In this work, we have used biospeckle analysis to characterize the effect of different temperature regimes on imbibition characteristics of soybean. It was found that at the extremes (lower as well as higher) of the temperature range under consideration (15°C - 40°C) biospeckle activity decreased rapidly. This denotes that water absorption capacity of seeds at the extremes of temperature limit is low, and results in delayed as well as lower imbibition process. The highest biospeckle activity was obtained for 30°C, indicating positive impact on seed imbibition characteristics at this temperature. Obtained results establish biospeckle analysis as an efficient tool for evaluating the effect of temperature on seed imbibition characteristics.