EFFECT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH WATER-RETAINING GEL ON LETTUCE SEED QUALITY AT DIFFERENT MOISTURE LEVELS

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization associated with water-retaining as to the quality of lettuce seeds at different moisture levels. The experimental design used was composed of randomized blocks, in a 2 x 5 + 1 factorial scheme, with two moisture levels (50 and 75% field capacity) and five doses of nitrogen (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 kg ha-1, with the addition of water-retaining gel, besides an additional treatment, without gel addition, with moisture at a level of 100% field capacity and standard nitrogen fertilization (100 kg ha-1), which will consist of the control treatment, with five replications. The analyzed variables were: water content, germination, germination speed index, electrical conductivity, and accelerated aging. The evaluated factors showed no significant interaction, for most of the analyzed variables, with the exception of the germination speed index. For germination, there was significant effect for the ‘levels of moisture in the substrate’ factor. Comparing the means of the treatments with the control, for electrical conductivity, all treatments had lower EC values, which indicate better vigor. It is concluded that using water-retaining gel associated with nitrogen fertilization allows the use of lower levels of moisture in the substrate (50%), without affecting the quality of the produced seeds. N doses fr