Standardizing germination tests for quinoa seeds

Abstract

The standard germination tests have been commonly used on commercial grain crops, such as soybean, field beans, rice and maize. However, there are no standard tests for potential new crops; quinoa being one of them. This work is aimed at evaluating the effect of substrate, temperature and counting time in seed germination of quinoa. The following treatments were used in tests with seeds: on blotter paper, between blotter paper, on sand and within sand, all previously soaked with distilled water. These substrates were combined to the temperatures of 15, 20, 25, 30°C, and alternated between 20 to 30°C. The experiment was conducted on an entirely randomized factorial design 5 × 4 (temperature × substrate) with 4 repetitions. Normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings and dead seeds were counted until stabilized. The germination velocity index and mean time for germination were calculated. From the results, it was concluded that germination test of quinoa seeds should be conducted at 20 to 30°C alternate temperatures, on or between blotter paper, with initial count at 2 days and final count at 4 days.

Prospects for quinoa adaptation and utilization in Eastern and Southern Africa

“…There is a need for more studies on the quality of quinoa seed to increase our understanding of recommended seed quality factors, and field and environmental conditions for good establishment of quinoa. NB: A germination rate of 60 to 100 percent would be regarded as good, depending on seed storage conditions and prevailing temperatures after sowing (Strenske et al, 2017, Moreno et al, 2017, de Jesus Souza et al, 2017 Plants of some of the genotypes exhibited variation in morphological traits, suggesting that there might have been seed mixing up or their landrace status prior to seed shipping. For instance, plants with yellow-and pink-coloured stems were observed in the experimental plots of the variety Titicaca while Brightest Brilliant Rainbow (BBR) had some plants with intermediate panicle shapes and others with a glomerulate shape.…”

Kinetics and Quality of Quinoa Seeds After Drying and During Storage

“…The boxes were stored in an incubation chamber (12 hours of light exposure; 25±2 °C). The normal seedlings were counted on the 5 th day, and the results were expressed as a percentage (Brasil, 2009a;Souza et al, 2017).…”

“…Counting of the normal seedlings at two days after the beginning of the germination test and expressed as a percentage (Brasil, 2009a;Souza et al, 2017).…”

Evaluation of the physiological quality of quinoa seeds

“…These efforts resulted in the cultivars BRS Piabiru and BRS Syetetuba (Spehar et al, 2014). However, recently, these first cultivars showed seed quality problems (Souza et al, 2017a). Quinoa seeds are of the achene type, and have an external structure made of dead cells that surround the seeds (Burrieza et al, 2014), which can interfere with their germination (Souza et al, 2017a).…”

“…However, recently, these first cultivars showed seed quality problems (Souza et al, 2017a). Quinoa seeds are of the achene type, and have an external structure made of dead cells that surround the seeds (Burrieza et al, 2014), which can interfere with their germination (Souza et al, 2017a). Therefore, it is still necessary to assess seed germination and identification, to detect differences in the physiological potential, seeking to select high-performance materials for successful agricultural production (Marcos Filho, 2015).…”