Reduced time for evaluation of the germination test for sunflower seeds

Abstract

Establishing ideal conditions and speed in carrying out the germination test for sunflower seeds is of utmost importance in quality control programs of companies dedicated to the production of high technology seeds. In this regard, the aim of this study was to verify the possibility of reducing the evaluation time of the germination test of sunflower seeds in different substrates and temperatures. Six seed lots of the cultivar Helio 251 and six lots of the cultivar Helio 253 were used. As well as germination, determinations were made of first count germination and seed health. The seeds were kept in a germination chamber at 25 ºC, 30 ºC, and 20-30 ºC for the paper substrate, and 25 ºC and 30 ºC for the sand substrate. To verify the possibility of reducing the evaluation time of the germination test, the number of normal seedlings were counted daily, up to the tenth day after sowing. It was concluded that it is possible to conclude the germination test on the seventh day after sowing in sand at the temperature of 25 °C.

Time reduction to evaluate Pinus taeda seeds germination by time-to-event analysis

“…Furthermore, the recommendation to perform the test on paper facilitates fungal dissemination, which may be a problem for species that require a prolonged time to reach the normal seedling standard (Silva et al, 2017;ISTA, 2020). The adoption of a criterion that reduces the duration of the germination test reduces pathogen attacks in seedlings with all necessary structures to be considered normal (Rosa et al, 2010, Caldeira et al, 2015. Some studies were carried out to obtain seed viability in a practical way either by the adequacy of alternative techniques, such as the tetrazolium test (Calles et al, 2020) or by reducing the duration of the germination test or through seed treatments (Caldeira et al, 2015;Tomaz et al, 2016).…”

“…The adoption of a criterion that reduces the duration of the germination test reduces pathogen attacks in seedlings with all necessary structures to be considered normal (Rosa et al, 2010, Caldeira et al, 2015. Some studies were carried out to obtain seed viability in a practical way either by the adequacy of alternative techniques, such as the tetrazolium test (Calles et al, 2020) or by reducing the duration of the germination test or through seed treatments (Caldeira et al, 2015;Tomaz et al, 2016). Although these techniques are effective, some require higher technification of the laboratory and specialized personnel, generating extra costs and making evaluation difficult.…”

ISTA rules changes in seed germination testing at the beginning of the 21st century

“…Campos and Tillmann (1997) and Tomaz et al (2010) concluded that it is possible to terminate the germination test for some species with single countings. Caldeira et al (2015) emphasized that there is the possibility of reducing the evaluation period of the germination test on the seventh day after sowing in sand at the temperature of 25 °C.…”

Electrical conductivity test in the evaluation of physiological quality in seeds of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

“…El área cultivada en el departamento de Córdoba en 2013 fue de 145 hectáreas, ---------equivalentes al 39,00% de la superficie cosechada a nivel nacional. Sin embargo, sus rendimientos son los más bajos del país con 4,6 t ha ), lo que reduce su competitividad en el mercado nacional y sus posibilidades de apuesta agrícola de exportación (Agronet, 2016) y una de las razones, es su mala calidad de semilla, ya que obtienen éstas de sus propios cultivos y son almacenadas bajo condiciones ambientales oscilatorias de temperatura ambiental (> 27 °C) y alta humedad relativa (85%) (Ruíz et al, 2014), que inciden en el potencial fisiológico de la semilla, causando un impacto negativo en la calidad de las plántulas y por ende en la producción (Alves et al, 2012) El procedimiento convencional para el análisis de semillas de berenjena, tarda aproximadamente 14 días (Martins et al, 2012;Zamariola et al, 2014), el cual presenta limitaciones por no detectar variaciones entre lotes en el estado inicial de deterioro y no siempre revela diferencias de desempeño entre lotes durante el almacenamiento o en campo y de acuerdo a Caldeira et al (2015), factores ambientales como altas o bajas temperaturas inciden en la velocidad de germinación y calidad de las plántulas. Las evaluaciones relacionadas con relación a la calidad fisiológica de semillas de berenjena en nuestro país son escasas y ello es esencial en el control de calidad para predecir el comportamiento inicial en campo.…”