Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different coatings on the physiological potential of stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande seeds. The treatments were: uncoated seeds; limestone + PVA glue; limestone + sand + PVA glue; limestone + activated carbon + PVA glue; calcium silicate + PVA glue; calcium silicate + sand + PVA glue; calcium silicate + activated carbon + PVA glue. Posteriorly, the seeds were analyzed for water content (WC), maximum diameter (MAD) and minimum diameter (MID), thousand seed weight (TSW), germination test, germination speed index (GSI), mean germination time (MGT), emergence, emergence speed index (ESI), mean emergence time (MET), shoot and root length, fresh and dry matter of shoot and root. The coating increased the TSW, MAD and MID and decreased its WC. The treatments comprising limestone + PVA glue and limestone + sand + PVA glue increased the germination time, but none of the treatments negatively affected the physiological seed quality. Treatment with calcium silicate + PVA glue was outstanding for germination speed index and fresh and dry matter of shoot and root in the stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande seeds coating.
Highlights
The Brazilian cattle industry is characterized by having most of its flock raised on pasture; this practice is an economical way to produce and provide food for animals (Ferraz and Felício, 2010)
The coating of seeds with the proposed materials promoted increases in thousand seed weight (TSW) of 1.6 to 2.3 times in the coated seeds compared to the uncoated ones (Table 1)
The great advantage in increasing the seed weight and the seed size is in the ease of sowing these seeds, whether manually or mechanically (Medeiros et al, 2004; Nascimento et al, 2009; Gadotti and Puchala, 2010)
Summary
The Brazilian cattle industry is characterized by having most of its flock raised on pasture; this practice is an economical way to produce and provide food for animals (Ferraz and Felício, 2010). (cultivated variety or cultivar) Campo Grande is a fodder Fabaceae, launched by EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária; Brazilian Corporation of Agricultural Research) in 2007, comprising the physical mixture of improved seeds of Stylosanthes capitata and Stylosanthes macrocephala, at the ratio of 80% e 20%, respectively (EMBRAPA Gado de Corte, 2007), and it is promising in providing good quality fodder. This legume is further characterized by having very small seeds (350-400 seeds/g) (EMBRAPA Gado de Corte, 2007), with color ranging from red to brown and black, features that hinder both its tillage as its sowing. The use of technologies such as coating the seeds, contributes to the solution of problems related to the size and shape of seeds, as it standardizes the seed size and shape, facilitating its distribution, whether manual or mechanical, providing greater precision in sowing (Baudet and Peres, 2004; Nascimento et al, 2009)
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