Question

Will frost kill seeds?

Answer 1

Frost is the covering of a solid surface by a thin layer of ice. It is formed by the process of sublimation where water vapor will lead to the formation of frost or snow. The temperature is below or above the freezing point.

Complete answer:
When the solid surface having a temperature below the freezing point when comes in contact with the water vapor having a temperature above the freezing point then it will result in the formation of a thin layer of ice that covers the solid surface, this thin layer of ice is called frost. The frost causes a large number of damage to the seeds. They lead to the lowering of the quality of seeds, as they attack the immature crops that are resistant towards the frost. This leads to the lowering of seed quality thus the upcoming year the seed quality will degrade and hence affects the development of the crop. The frost may hinder the growth of a crop by changing the day length or the growth period resulting in growth lag. Although seeds are mostly safe when they are frozen since the temperature is maintained according to their needs and requirements, when the frost occurs then it will mostly attack the young seedlings. These young seedlings are the newly grown seedling from the plants and are thus susceptible to any freezing temperatures. One of the important reasons for young seedlings being more susceptible to frost is their less developed and thin roots. Since, their roots are not too deep nor too thick thus they will be able to keep themselves safe when the solid surface of the soil freezes due to frost, this results in the killing of the young seedlings. Although frost affects the seeds but the mature seeds are able to withstand its effects while the young seedling gets themselves skilled. Frost mostly kills the young seedlings and sometimes the mature seeds too depending upon the type of conditions present in the surrounding.

Note:
When the seeds are frozen and then exposed to the warm temperature then it will start to germinate but as soon the seedling is exposed to the frost then the seedling will get killed. Frost are of various types that include white frost (humid conditions), hoar frost (crystalline frost), window frost (at glass surface), black frost (at very low temperature), etc.