A NMR/ESR/MRI Toolbox to study physical and chemical predictors of seed longevity

Spin-label ESR, NMR spectroscopy and MRI are used to study effects of seed handling (e.g. priming) and ageing of seeds. Membrane lipid oxidation is considered as a key factor of ageing and vitality of seeds (E).•Spin-label ESR can be used to monitor the redox state of the environment of the probe molecule (cytoplasm, membrane surface or core). Anti-oxidants and oxidation products can be followed by NMR and LC-MS.