The Loss of Vigour and Sowing Value of Yellow Lupin Seeds (Lupinus luteus L.) as a Result of Mechanical Harvesting

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of mechanical harvest on the seed quality of yellow lupin. Two effects were studied: the cultivar of yellow lupin (the indeterminate cultivar - Mister and the determinate cultivar - Perkoz) and harvest methods: hand-picked plants with manual shelling of seeds as a control and mechanical shelling with a plot harvester. In comparison with manual shelling of seeds, the mechanical harvest reduced the seed germination and increased the number of abnormal seeds both cultivars. Determinate cultivar was more sensitive, because the loss of its quality was higher (germination of 10%) than indeterminate cultivar (6%). Perkoz had also higher electrical conductivity, with the mean value of 34.3 μS × cm × g . Manual shelled seeds were characterized by a significantly lower leakage of exudates (24.9 μS × cm × g ), and hence, it exhibited greater vigour than mechanical harvested seeds. Most relations of Pearson correlation coefficient between vigour tests and germination were strong or practically functional.