Physiological Quality of Informal-Sector Maize Seeds in Nigeria

Abstract

Lack of access to high quality seeds is a major factor contributing to the worsening of food security situation in Africa and the integration of the formal and informal seed sectors has been advocated as the most viable option for boosting seed security. However, there are concerns about the quality of seeds from the informal sector for which information is not available. To bridge this gap, maize (Zea mays L.) seed samples were drawn from community seed producers in five states in southwest Nigeria. Seed moisture content was estimated gravimetrically and the samples were subjected to seed quality tests, namely standard germination, accelerated aging, and conductivity tests. Across states, locations within states and producers, overall mean standard germination percentage was 91.45 ± 1.51%, standard germination index 5.63 ± 0.16 d, accelerated aging germination 47.10 ± 6.15%, accelerated germination index 9.59 ± 0.77 d and conductivity 8.48 ± 0.68 μS cm−1 g−1. These results indicate a physiologically-nonu...