Acquisition of longevity of corn (Zea mays L.) seeds produced in a tropical environment

• Grant number: 24/08738-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva
• Grantee: Fernando Guapo Ereno
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Longevity is the characteristic of a seed that determines its lifespan, i.e., the time during which the seed remains viable during storage. However, in the context of maize seed production, longevity is still poorly studied. Understanding it allows, for example, monitoring the maximum physiological quality of a seed lot based on its storage potential. This information is crucial considering that the seeds will be used by farmers months after harvest. Therefore, the longevity of a seed is strictly correlated with maintaining its vigor throughout the post-harvest period. The research hypothesis is that maize seeds acquire maximum longevity after the point of maximum seed fill (Physiological Maturity). The objective is to characterize the acquisition of longevity during the development of maize seeds produced in a tropical environment. Plants will be grown under field conditions in the 2024/25 crop season at the Lageado experimental farm, FCA-UNESP-Botucatu. Seed production will be carried out according to recommended cultivation and management procedures for the crop. Seed harvesting will be done according to the plant's developmental stages days after the onset of flowering and seed formation. Seeds obtained during development will be evaluated for moisture content, fresh weight, dry weight, germination, desiccation tolerance, vigor, and longevity. From this work, we will have the unprecedented opportunity to understand the initial point of seed longevity acquisition in maize. Also, we will have fundamental information to ensure and foster strategies that ensure superior physiological quality of maize seeds stored under a wide range of environmental conditions. Therefore, this proposal aims to contribute to seed technology for an important crop worldwide.