Adequacy of the Electrical Conductivity Test Methodology for Millet Seeds

Luanna Karoline Rinaldi,Mayra Taniely Ribeiro Abade,Maicon Javorski,Guilherme Mascarello,Tatiane Priscila Chiapetti,Jaqueline De Araujo Barbosa,Diandra Javorski,Maria Eunice Lima Rocha,Cleonice Lubian,Ivonei Perego,Camila Hendges,Ana Paula Mourão Simonetti

doi:10.5539/jas.v9n11p130

Abstract

Companies have sought to improve, more and more, the quality control of the seeds produced, improving tests that evaluate the vigor of the seeds with greater speed and precision. The objective of the present work was to study the effects of imbibition time on the results of the electrical conductivity test to evaluate the vigor of millet seeds and to correlate with the other tests carried out. Six seeds lots of the ADR300 cultivar with different vigor levels were used. Germination, first germination count, accelerated ageing, emergence and emergence speed of seedlings in sand and electrical conductivity with variations in water volume were performed (50 And 75 cm3), during the imbibition time of 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours, at 25 ºC. The time of 2 hours of the seed imbibition in 75 cm3 in water proved to be efficient to evaluate the vigor of millet seeds in all lots tested.

Highlights

Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is one of the most important grains in the world, being grains present high food value, used in animal feed and in human food
The physiological potential of the seeds is a reflection of a set of characteristics determined by the germination and vigor tests, which identify their capacity to present adequate performance when the seeds are exposed to different environmental conditions (Bhering, Dias, Vigial, & Naveira, 2006)
The lots were cultivated at different times and in different locations, resulting in different levels of vigor, which were determined by germination test, accelerated aging tests, first germination count, emergence, seedling emergence velocity in sand and electrical conductivity, Which was evaluated with variations of imbibition time and different volumes

Summary

Introduction

Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is one of the most important grains in the world, being grains present high food value, used in animal feed and in human food. The low physical and physiological quality of the commercialized seeds is one of the main problems of the present time, since the production of millet seeds with high physiological potential is essential for the proper establishment of seedlings in the field (Peske & Novembre, 2010). The vigor tests have been used mainly to identify differences associated with the performance of seed lots, during storage or after sowing, not detected by the germination test. They seek to highlight the lots with greater and less efficiency for the establishment of the stand under wide variation of the environment conditions (Marcos-Filho, Kiuti, & Lima, 2009)

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Results