Grand Rapids lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds were stored in an imbibed state for up to two years. Embryos dissected from stored seeds showed a progressive loss with time in their ability to germinate on polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions. Little germination of dissected embryos from one-month imbibed seeds occurred on -6 bar PEG but only after four months of storage did the dissected embryos fail to germinate on -4 bar PEG. After two years storage 30% of dissected embryos still were able to germinate on -2 bar PEG. This loss of germination potential, which may be a symptom of the development of an embryo dormancy, could be reversed by N6-benzyladenine (BA) and red light (R) applied together or separately to dissected embryos. Two weeks of chilling of 12-month imbibed seeds restored sensitivity to R and a 48-h BA pretreatment prior to R resulted in germination rates similar to those of seeds emerging from primary dormancy. There was loss of embryo control of endo-fl-mannanase activity after two weeks of storage even though the endosperms themselves retained their capacity for enzyme synthesis for six more weeks. Eventually, then, endo-p-mannanase synthesis is not possible because of inherent changes in both the embryo and endosperm, although each tissue undergoes changes at its own rate. Oxygen uptake by embryos dissected from two-month imbibed seeds did not increase to the same extent as embryos dissected from freshly imbibed seeds. In intact seeds germinating from a skotodormant state, oxygen uptake increased at a time coincident with radicle protrusion, but did not achieve the levels of uptake of those seeds germinating from a primary dormant Abbreviations: BA=N6-benzyladenine; Pfr=active (far-redabsorbing) form of phytochrome; R = red light; PEG = polyethylene glycol state. The decline in uptake of oxygen by secondary dormant seeds is the result of a lowered respiratory capability of the embryo itself, rather than of changes in permeability of the surrounding structures.