QUALIDADE FÍSICA E FISIOLÓGICA DE SEMENTES DE MELANCIA EM FUNÇÃO DO TAMANHO DA SEMENTE

Abstract

One of the biggest concerns when starting the cultivation of any vegetable species is the quality of the seed. In order to obtain considerable productivity, it is necessary to use high vigor seeds with good physiological quality. From the producer's point of view, the larger seeds are considered the most vigorous and those that will result in greater productivity. However, studies show that the vigor and physiological quality of the seed are not always related only to its size, proving that smaller seeds can also be vigorous and generate plants that will be as productive as the plants generated by larger seeds. This work aims to evaluate the influence of seed size on the behavior of the germination process, internal morphology and physiological quality of watermelon seeds. The experimental design used was completely randomized, in which the treatments consisted of small (T1), medium (T2) and large (T3) seeds and the number of repetitions varied according to the analyzed variables. Seeds were evaluated for 1,000-seed weight, water content, imbibition curve, germination percentage, emergence and emergence speed index, X-ray analysis, growth characteristics (shoot and root length, fresh mass and dry shoots and roots). It was verified that the size of the seeds did not interfere in the germination process, but the initial growth of the seedlings from the large seeds during emergence can determine a better establishment of the seedlings.