Viability assessment of maize (Zea mays L.) seeds contaminated with aflatoxin using fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract

Maize seeds are a primary source of nourishment and their viability is a critical consideration to ensure a reasonably high harvest and seed quality. In this work, we study the effect of aflatoxin induced stress on the seed viability concerning the germination, as well as the estimation on the impact on the viability using fluorescence spectroscopy. Our results showed that the contaminated seeds exhibit significant decreases in the percent of germination, even at low levels, if compared to the uncontaminated seeds (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the fluorescence ratio of 453/680 and 680/751, could be used for the rapid screening of the viability of the maize seeds.