Germinative performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) landrace seeds for organic production

Abstract

Currently, it is observed a gap in the supply of seeds from organic farming production systems to meet the demand for seeds of vegetables. In this sense, landrace seeds may stand as an alternative to commercial seeds, reconciling organic farming practices with the genetic diversity of landrace seeds and family farming. This work aimed to evaluate the germinative performance of landrace lettuce seeds obtained directly from the farmer and produced with an organic system as an alternative seed source for use in organic farming. A batch of commercial seeds and two batches of landrace seeds from different places were evaluated. The following tests were carried out: germination, first germination count, germination speed index, accelerated aging test, resistance to stress induced by cold, and tetrazolium test. The obtained results underwent ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple range test at 5 % error probability. The results showed that both the conventional and the landrace seeds had germination percentages above 90 %. The vigor of the seeds produced with the conventional system was greater in the tetrazolium test. The three batches had a similar performance in the tests of resistance to stress induced by cold at 5 °C.