Nikolay Panayotov Agricultural University-Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Nevena Stoeva Agricultural University-Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the different age of pepper seeds on the changes of vegetative development and physiological status of the grown seedlings. Experiments were carried out with two pepper cultivars. The seeds were stored for 120 months in ambient conditions. Through 12 mounts the sowing quality was established. The vegetative experiments were conducted. Morphological behaviors, an intensity of respiration and guaiacol peroxidase enzyme activity in seeds and the leaf gas-exchange were measured. Pepper seeds preserve normal sowing quality for up to 4 years. The length of root and stem decrease during storage. The leaf-gaze exchange was inhibited for seedlings of aged seeds.