Health and physiological quality of corn seeds treated with Cambuci extract

• Grant number: 21/13688-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Victor Augusto Forti
• Grantee: Vitória de Andrade Tronco
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Organic agriculture aims to produce healthy foods in line with environmental preservation and social security. For organic maize production, alternative seed treatment is essential to maintain quality and prevent the spread of relevant pathogens in agricultural production fields. The control of these phytopathogens from plant extracts has been explored. Considering the antifungal activity potential of secondary compounds produced by plants, the Campomanesia phase presents this potential, as its leaves and fruits are rich in phenolic compounds, compounds with antifungal properties. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the health and physiological potential of organic maize seeds treated with cambuci extract (Campomanesia phaea). For this, two plant extracts from different tissues of the C. phaea species will be tested, the fruit peel and the leaves, at the following concentrations: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. A lot of organic maize seeds will be treated with each treatment and the health potential, by blotter test, and physiological potential, by germination test, germination speed, index of germination speed, seedling length, seedling dry matter, cold test, and seedling emergence test were evaluated. In addition, each of the applied extracts will be evaluated for the content of total phenolic compounds. It is expected that the extract of the leaves and peel of the cambuci fruit can be an alternative to the chemical treatment of maize seeds for the control of associated phytopathogens.(AU)