Evaluation of vigour beans and soybean seeds by cold test

Author(s)

Marcelo Hissnauer Miguel

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 1999-02-02
• Advisor: Silvio Moure Cicero

Abstract

This research was conducted at the Seed Analysis Laboratory and Experimental Area of the Agricultural Department of the Escola Superior de Agricultura ''Luiz de Queiroz" campus of the University of São Paulo. The objective was to study bean and soybean seeds development under different cold test methodologies compared to other traditional vigor tests used to evaluate physiological seed quality of the aforementioned species. Therefore, two bean cultivars and three soybean cultivars from three physiologically different lots of each species were used. Cold tests were carried out in: plastic boxes with soil, paper rolls with soil, and paper rolls without soil. For each test, temperatures from 10ºC and 15° and cold exposure of three, five and seven days were evaluated. Laboratory tests consisted of the standard germination test, first germination count, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and seedlings emergence in the field. Tests were conducted during two seasons four months apart. The different cold test methodologies were compared by a Tukey test. Afterwards, correlations with the remaining vigor tests were established for the respective cuItures. Data analysis and interpretation of the resuIts allowed the conclusion that, for bean seeds, the cold test methodologies using paper roIls with soil and exposure for five and especially seven days at 15°C offered favorable conditions for fungus development, limiting their use; paper rolls without soil and exposure for three to five days at l0ºC and 15°C correlated better with the remaining vigor tests, especially the first germination count and seedling emergence in the field. For soybean seeds, the methodologies using boxes and paper rolls with soil drastically reduced seedling emergence, especially in materiaIs with low physiological quality. The methodologies using paper rolls without soil correlated best with the first germination count, electrical conductivity and seedlings emergence in the field. (AU)