Tetrazolium Chloride Testing to Establish Seed Viability

Understanding what percentage of a seed collection is viable is of utmost importance. Generally germination trials will be conducted on seed, however in instances where germination tests are not ideal, other methods might also be used to ascertain viability. Tetrazolium chloride is a chemical that is used to stain seed, allowing the researcher to determine the ratio of good to bad seed in an accession. In this video Jason Ligon and Tito Tomei of Atlanta Botanical Garden share their protocol for using tetrazolium chloride for optimal results.

This video was funded by an IMLS grant.