Abstract: The paper focused on the effects of desiccation on viability and membrane lipid peroxidation（MLP）in seeds of Livistona chinensis. Seed germination percentage declined to 15% when moisture content was reduced to 12%，and then completely lost at 8% of water content，which suggested that Livistona chinensis seeds were desiccation-sensitive seeds，ranked as recalcitrant. In the process of dehydration，the germination percentage，germination strength and germination index of seeds were gradually decreased. The electrical conductivity，malondialdehyde（MDA）and proline contents were progressively increased，which was caused by increased enhanced MLP. Superoxide dismutase（SOD）activity increased to the maximal value at 22% of seed moisture content，then declined rapidly with further water loss. However，catalase（CAT）activity generally increased during desiccation. Activities of peroxidase（POD）and ascorbate peroxidase（APX）activity initially increased and reached the maximal value at 17% of moisture content，and then declined with further desiccation. These results indicated that decrease in seed viability and activities of antioxidant enzymes occurred，as a result of both MLP and severe desiccation.

Key words: Livistona chinensis, recalcitrant seed, desiccation tolerance, viability