PHYSIOLOGICAL AND SANITARY QUALITY OF WHEAT CULTIVARS SEEDS SUBJECTED TO CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SEED TREATMENTS

Abstract

Brazilian wheat farming is characterized by a high occurrence of seed-transmitted diseases that can cause significant damage to grain production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of seed treatments on the physiological and sanitary quality of wheat cultivar seeds. Seeds from three commercial wheat cultivars (TBIO Sossego, TBIO Sinuelo, and TBIO Toruk) were used, along with four seed treatments (Control, Chemical, Biological, and Chemical + Biological). The physiological quality of the seeds was determined based on first germination count, germination percentage, quantification of abnormal seedlings, shoot and radicle length, whole seedling dry weight, and emergence velocity index (EVI). The sanitary quality was assessed using the Blotter test. Overall, the chemical treatment combined with the seeds of the TBIO Toruk cultivar provided better indices of physiological and sanitary quality.