X-ray microtomography for mechanical damage evaluation in corn seeds and its relationship with plant performance and yield

• Grant number: 15/19310-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2015
• End date: October 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Francisco Guilhien Gomes Junior
• Grantee: Deborah Bueno da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

X-ray computed microtomography (microCT), similarly to X-ray test allows the evaluation of seed internal morphology in a non-destructive way, with the added advantage of greater accuracy in identification and classification of mechanical damage inside the seeds since is based on a three-dimensional analysis with high resolution. Aiming to evaluate the effects of mechanical damage on plant performance, corn seeds with different levels of mechanical injuries will be analyzed using the SkyScan X-ray 1172 microcomputed tomography system and subsequently sown in vases kept in a greenhouse to verify the effects of injuries on plant performance and grain yield. During the crop development will be determined plant height, stem diameter and leaf area index at the phenological stadia of two, four, eight and twelve leafs. At harvest, dry mass accumulation in the shoots, number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, grain weight per ear and grain yield per plant will be evaluated. It is expected that with the use of microTC will be possible to identify the exact location of mechanical damage inside the seed and establish a direct relationship with the germination and plant performance, identifying injuries levels with significant yield reduction. (AU)