Adequacy of the accelerated aging test for soybean seeds

Abstract

Seed companies use vigor tests in their internal seed quality control procedures. Therefore, it is necessary to choose effective methods to obtain quick responses for making decisions related to the handling, disposal and marketing of seed lots. Thus, the objective of this work was to adapt a methodology for the accelerated aging test in soybean seeds. Sixty-nine lots were used and the experimental design used was completely randomized, with four replications. For the initial characterization of the lots, water content was determined, germination test and field emergence. The soybean seed lots selected based on the initial characterization, were submitted to the standard accelerated aging methodology and twenty-one adapted methodologies. After the physiological characterization of the 69 lots, 24 lots with similar germination with different levels of vigor were selected. For adapted methodologies that used only distilled water inside the gerbox box, there was an increase in the water content of the seeds of all analyzed lots. However, all methodologies with the use of saline solution had alower water content. The adapted methodologies N (pre-treatment in forced air oven at 35-40°C for two hours, BOD 42°C for 24 hours, using saline) and S (pre-treatment in forced air oven at 35-40°C for two hours, BOD 45°C for 12 hours, with the use of distilled water) are the most suitable for use in the accelerated aging test for soybean crops, as they present relevant results in a shorter evaluation period.