Dielectric Response of Germinating Wheat Seeds Using a Resonant Cavity

A dielectric response far above that of free water was found in live wheat seeds, Tricticum aestivum L., as they began to imbibe water. This effect was assumed to be due to release of ions because conductivity increased as corresponding quantities of water were imbibed, and both conductivity and dielectric response decreased as imbibition progressed. Dead seeds do not show this dielectric response change although water is absorbed.The dielectric response of actively growing shoots from the seeds was much less than that of seeds themselves. The large quantity of water in the shoots is assumed to be immobile, being tightly bound within the membranes, enzymes, and organelles.