Respiratory Activity as a Fast Method for Vigor Differentiation of Habanero Pepper Seeds

Elise De Matos Pereira,Edila Vilela De Resende Von Pinho,Renato Mendes Guimarães,Sophia Mangussi Franchi Dutra,Aline Silva Freitas,Rucyan Walace Pereira,Heloisa Oliveira Dos Santos

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n2p420

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and rapidity of the Pettenkofer and Titulation methods in the determination of respiratory activity and its relation with the vigor of habanero pepper seeds. For this, six lots of habanero pepper seeds were evaluated for respiratory activity, through Pettenkofer and Titulation physicochemical methods, and for physiological quality via tests of germination, first germination count, germination speed index, emergence, initial stand, emergence speed index and electrical conductivity. Biochemical analyzes were also carried out using the electrophoresis of the esterase (EC 3.1.1.1.) and alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.2.), and the quantification of the endo-&beta;-mannanase enzyme (EC 3.2.1.78). The tests of physiological quality and the respiratory activity of the seeds allowed the classification of the habanero pepper seed lots at different vigor levels. There was a correlation between the respiratory activity with the tests used to evaluate the physiological quality of the seeds and with the endo-&beta;-mannanase enzyme. It is concluded that the Pettenkofer and Titulation methods are promising for the evaluation of the deterioration level and the discrimination of lots of habanero pepper seeds with different vigor levels.

Highlights

In order to evaluate the physiological quality of seed lots, several tests may be used
Vigor tests have been developed with the objective of identifying possible differences in the physiological potential of seed lots and that present characteristics such as simplicity, speed, objectivity and reproducibility, providing complementary information to those obtained in the germination test (Marcos Filho, 2015)
Papers using the Pettenkofer method in soybean and rice seeds (Mendes et al, 2009) and the titration method (Crispin et al, 1994) have shown that the determination of respiratory activity has been proposed as a promising test to evaluate vigor, since in the deterioration process one of the initial events is the rapid increase in respiration rate (Guimarães, 1999)

Summary

Introduction

In order to evaluate the physiological quality of seed lots, several tests may be used. The germination test conducted in optimal conditions (temperature, water availability and oxygen) is officially used to evaluate the physiological potential of the seed lots (Brasil, 2009). It does not reveal the seeds behavior under field conditions and still does not detect quality differences between lots with high and similar germination pattern (Marcos Filho, 2015). Papers using the Pettenkofer method in soybean and rice seeds (Mendes et al, 2009) and the titration method (Crispin et al, 1994) have shown that the determination of respiratory activity has been proposed as a promising test to evaluate vigor, since in the deterioration process one of the initial events is the rapid increase in respiration rate (Guimarães, 1999)

Objectives

Methods

Results