BIOESTIMULANTES NA MITIGAÇÃO DO ESTRESSE TÉRMICO NA GERMINABILIDADE DE SEMENTES DE MILHO

Abstract

Currently, corn is a crop with an essential role in global agricultural production, although it faces significant challenges due to climate change, which threaten its production in many regions. Biostimulants boost plant development by increasing nutrient absorption and resistance to stress. These products promote more uniform, vigorous, healthy seedling growth and more developed and stronger roots. Furthermore, it is crucial to face environmental challenges. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the germination and development of corn seedlings from seeds treated with biostimulants and subjected to thermal stress. The experiment was conducted at the Seed Analysis Laboratory of IF Goiano, Campus de Iporá, GO, using hybrid corn seeds DKB 360 PRO 3. The seeds received treatment with the growth biostimulant Speed Advantage®, using a dosage of 4 mL of product for every 1 kg of seeds, diluted in 100 mL of distilled water. To evaluate thermal stress, a fully causalized experimental design was used with a 2 x 5 factorial scheme (with and without treatment and different temperatures) where the following variables were evaluated: First count, Germination, Germination speed index, Shoot length, root, and total, Dry mass of aerial part, root and total. The experimental design was entirely causalized, with treatments distributed in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme (with and without treatment and different temperatures), in four replications. The data were subjected to analysis of variance using the F test and comparison between means was performed using the Tukey test (p>0.05). Seed treatment with biostimulant did not have a relevant impact on the variables studied. Additionally, it was observed that corn seedlings reach their best development between 25°C and 30°C.