Quality of forage seeds sold in the state of Mato Grosso

Abstract

The acquisition of high-quality seeds is essential to successfully implant areas with forage. However, to be commercialized, they must meet the minimum quality standards established by law. Inspections are necessary to guarantee the quality and identity of the commercialized seed. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the quality of tropical forage seed species collected in 2018, in the state of Mato Grosso. The survey was based on data from officers’ samples, in commercial establishments and fine consumers, collected during inspections conducted by the Agricultural Defense Institute of the State of Mato Grosso - INDEA-MT and subsequently analyzed by the Guilherme de Abreu Lima Seed Analysis Laboratory (LASGAL). Purity analysis, determination of other seeds by number (DOSN), germination test and tetrazolium test were carried out. The study showed that 75% of the analyzed samples reached the minimum requirements for commercialization in terms of physical purity; 95% of the samples were within the standard for physiological quality determined by law; and 91.9% did not exceed the maximum limits regarding the number of undesirable seeds present in a sample. In general, 36.1% of the total samples analyzed did not conform in some way to quality standards, therefore were not appropriate for commercialization.