Physiological quality of corn seeds treated with insecticides and stored at different temperatures

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the industrial treatment with insecticides on the physiological quality of corn (Zea mays) seeds during storage at different temperatures. Seeds of the BM 950 PRO3 and BM 709 PRO2 hybrids were subjected to industrial treatment with insecticides based on chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, and clothianidin, as well as to a control, and stored at different temperatures (10, 20, and 30°C) for 0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 days, in a 4x3x5 factorial arrangement for each hybrid, in a completely randomized design. To evaluate the quality of the seeds, tests of moisture content, germination, seedling emergence, accelerated aging, and cold were performed. For the seeds of both hybrids, germination is preserved at minimum commercialization standards for up to 360 days of storage, regardless of the insecticide or storage temperature. The temperature of 10°C preserves seed vigor and minimizes the negative effects caused by the insecticides during storage. At 20 and 30°C, vigor is cumulatively impaired as storage is extended, mainly at 30°C. Chlorantraniliprole results in a greater preservation of seed vigor regardless of storage temperature, whereas clothianidin provides a greater loss of vigor in industrially treated corn seeds, especially when stored at 30°C.

Quality of corn seed industrial seed treatment (IST) and on-farm treatment (OFT) in Brazilian agribusiness

“…This level of DAE may cause low efficacy of the insecticide against pests due to the low dose or an occurrence of phytotoxicity due to the excessive amount of active ingredient when an overdose occurs. A high dose application effectiveness in a seed treatment is extremely important, especially in the case of some phytosanitary molecules, such as insecticides, that tend to have varied phytotoxicity depending on the active ingredient, especially in relation to fungicides (Corlett et al, 2014;Rocha et al, 2020;Carvalho et al, 2022a;Moraes et al 2022). For the IST samples, the variation was lower, with 92% of the minimum value to 105% of the maximum value, a variation of 13 percentage points, reiterating the greater uniformity observed in the coating (Figure 7B).…”

“…Currently, the application of phytosanitary products in the form of seed treatment has gained prominence, and when applied well, it protects seeds and seedlings, favors their initial development mainly under water restriction in the soil, and may lead to a decrease in the use of active ingredients per area and lower environmental risks (Aguiar et al, 2018;Lacerda et al, 2021;Carvalho et al, 2022b;Moraes et al, 2022).…”