QUALIDADE FISIOLÓGICA DE SEMENTES DE MILHO ORGÂNICO SOB DIFERENTES TEMPERATURAS DE SECAGEM

Abstract

Seed is a basic input for food production, its high quality is essential for a promising harvest. Currently, the seed market is regulated by large companies, but family farming seeks ways to produce, with its particularities, an alternative would be the acquisition and cultivation of seeds, which could be reproduced and would be in the possession of the producer, but, improper storage of seeds, such as inadequate control of temperature and water content, may impair the germinative performance of the seed in the field. Therefore, the objective of this work is to evaluate the physiological quality of organic corn seeds at different drying temperatures, through vigor tests. The organic seeds were subjected to drying and vigor tests, such as the germination pattern, sand bed emergence, electrical conductivity and emergence speed index. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, at different temperatures: 30, 40, 50 and 60ºC. The drying temperature that preserves the physiological quality of BRS Caimbé organic corn seeds is 30º C. The increase in temperature promotes a reduction in the water content of BRS Caimbé organic corn seeds and a decrease in germination.