In order to examine the effect of drying on seed coat permeability, seeds of all the three lots were imbibed in distilled water at room temperature and the increase in fresh weight was determined after 1, 6 and 24 h. Water uptake was expressed as seed moisture content. To test viability, the seeds were pre-soaked in distilled water for 24 h and then incubated in 1% 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride solution at 25 C for 24 h to examine the pattern of staining.