Minimum period to assess the potential of germination of coffee seeds

Abstract

In recent research, early stages of coffee seedling development were identified, after radicle protrusion, in which all the essential parts of the seedling can be assessed to demonstrate the potential of seed germination to generate normal plants. Thus, the objective of this research was to develop studies to reduce the time on the germination test. Ten seed lots of coffee were assessed through the germination test, every two days, from the tenth day of sowing, according to the morphological criteria of the seedlings. The data were compared to the standard germination test and analyzed by means of regression analysis and segmented nonlinear regression and planteau response model. It was concluded that the assessment of coffee seedlings at 16 days, in stage S1, provides the similar result of the pattern germination test, allowing a significant reduction of time in order to demonstrate the germination of the seed lots; the seedling assessment coffee in stage S2 does not have reduction of the time for assessing the coffee germination, in relation to the pattern.

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

“…The time required to stop the appearance of normal seedlings (stabilization period), estimated by the regression model, was 23 days for S5 and 13 days for S4, showing that the choice of the germination test at a normal seedling stage prior (S4) to the original (S5) the experiment can be finished 10 days before. Guimarães et al (2013) worked with Coffea arabica seedlings and managed to reduce the germination test from 30 to 16 days by adopting a stage before the recommended criterion of normal seedling for the species, demonstrating the possibility to obtain the seed viability faster.…”

“…The maximum number of normal seedlings at stage S4 was observed at ten days after sowing, whereas the maximum number of normal seedlings considering the criterion adopted in the routine analysis of laboratories (stage S5) occurred at 14 and 19 days, indicating the need for intermediate readings (Figure 3). Therefore, the adoption of stage S4 as the final moment to evaluate the number of normal seedlings has operational advantages in the routine of a laboratory, as it requires less frequency of evaluations (Guimarães et al, 2013;Tomaz et al, 2016).…”

“…Additionally, the interpretation of a germination test should be performed based on the minimum conditions for seedling development and organization, which are necessary to originate a normal plant (Marcos-Filho, 2016;ISTA, 2020). In this sense, the duration of the test is related to the criteria established for normal seedling (Rosa et al, 2010;Guimarães et al, 2013).…”

<b>Image analysis of coffee seeds submitted to the LERCAFE test

“…In addition, the evaluation of physiological quality, which involves germination and vigor tests, is essential (Guimarães, Rosa, Coelho, Veiga, & Clemente, 2013). The reduction of time to germination test in the laboratories would be favorable for the production, commercialization, utilization and fiscalization of seeds (Guimarães et al, 2013).…”

“…In addition, the evaluation of physiological quality, which involves germination and vigor tests, is essential (Guimarães, Rosa, Coelho, Veiga, & Clemente, 2013). The reduction of time to germination test in the laboratories would be favorable for the production, commercialization, utilization and fiscalization of seeds (Guimarães et al, 2013). Tests such as the LERCAFE, which provides results in a relatively short period of time, are in the highest demand because they facilitate decision making at the different steps of the production process (Reis, Araújo, Dias, Sediyamam, & Meireles, 2010;Zonta, Araújo, Araújo, Reis, & Zonta, 2010).…”