Rapid assessment of fern spore quality using microscale electrical conductivity testing
Yao‐Moan Huang, Chia‐Wen Ko, Chin‐Tzer Duh, Chu‐Mei Huang, Wen‐Liang Chiou, Tzu‐Tong Kao · 2026
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Description
Huang and co-authors adapted a quick electrical test to judge fern spore quality in conservation banks. Germination tests are slow and laborious, so spore collections need a faster health check. Borrowing a seed vigor method, they soaked tiny spore samples for one hour and measured how much the water's electrical conductivity rose, a sign of leaking, aging cells. They tracked one fern species over eight weeks of storage.
Fresh spores with low starting conductivity lived longest. As storage went on, conductivity climbed while germination fell. When the conductivity had doubled relative to its start, about half the spores were dead; at triple, nearly all were. Spores from different plants differed in starting values, likely reflecting maturity. The authors recommend the ratio as a fast gauge for monitoring stored fern spores.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yao‐Moan Huang, Chia‐Wen Ko, Chin‐Tzer Duh, Chu‐Mei Huang, Wen‐Liang Chiou, Tzu‐Tong Kao |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 31 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |