Determination of Chlorophyll and Carotenoids Present in the Seeds of the Plant Family Apiaceae and the Impact on Seed Quality

In this study, we assessed the content of chlorophyll a and b, β-carotene and lutein in seeds of carrot, celery, dill, parsley and parsnip commercial varieties by spectrophotometric method. It was determined that the content of chlorophyll a was higher than chlorophyll b and both differed significantly between plant species and varieties. The highest amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, β-carotene and lutein were detected in parsley “Olomoucka dlouha”. The lowest amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, β-carotene and no lutein were detected in celery “Nuget”, however, very low amount of lutein was detected in the parsley cultivars “Atika” and “Orbis”. The content of β-carotene was higher than that of lutein in most varieties. The individual pigment contents were compared to seed quality parameters such as standard laboratory germination and seedling emergence. Negative correlation between energy of germination and pigments and positive correlation between seedling emergence and pigments in the parsnip and parsley varieties was observed. Determination the content of pigments and correlations observed the possibility to use spectrophotometry to evaluate the pigments present in the seeds as an indicator of seed quality.