Materials and Methods
'Early Calwonder' pepper seeds were placed in 6 cm
Fetri dishes on Whatman #3 filter paper to which 2 ml
of deionized water was added. The seeds were germinated
in the dark at 15°, 20°, or 25°C. Radicle protrusion consti
tuted germination. All experiments, were replicated 4 times,
with each replicate consisting of 25 seeds. All experiments
were repeated at least twice.
In a second experiment, imbibition rates at 15° and
25 °C were determined. Seeds were removed at various times
for a period of up to 12 days, damp-dried, and then
weighed. Seed dry weights were then determined after
drying at 70°C for 48 hr.
In a third experiment, pepper seeds were size graded