Effect of processing stages in the physiological quality of maize seeds

Abstract

Seeds are the primary input in the maize production process, and monitoring seeds through the processing stages is an essential practice in the production chain, particularly when identifying critical points in the process that can interfere with the final seed quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of processing stages in the physiological quality of Balu 761 maize hybrid seeds. Seeds from the Balu 761 maize hybrid obtained during processing (receipt, shelling, drying, threshing, grading and bagging) were used. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replications. Physiological seed quality was evaluated using germination, accelerated aging, cold testing, electrical conductivity and seedling length tests, with the latter used to determine the length and dry weight of the shoot and root. The data were subjected to a variance analysis, and the means were compared using the Scott-Knott test (p≤0.05). The physiological quality of Balu 761 maize hybrid seeds was enhanced during processing because the percentage of normal seedlings from cold test, as well as the root length, shoot length and shoot dry weight were optimized when considering the process as a whole, which contributed to the increased vigor of both seeds and seedlings. The germination and accelerated aging tests were not influenced by the processing stages.