Effects of accelerated aging on physiological and biochemical characteristics of two Elymus species seeds

Seeds of Elymus atratus and E. sibiricus were treated with accelerated aging at high temperature (45 ℃)and high humidity(RH100%) for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 d. The results showed that germination rate, germination energy, germination index and vigor index of both E. sibiricus and E. sibiricus decreased with treatment period extended whereas E. sibiricus decreased more than E. atratus. The content of malondialdehyde slowly increased and the content of soluble sugar increased. However, the peroxidase activity, superoxide dismutase activity and the content of soluble protein decreased with treatment period extended. Resistance to accelerated aging of E. atratusis better than that of E. sibiricus