Abstract
The objective of this work is to evaluate the influence of accelerated aging test at 41ºC on the germination and seed vigor of Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1: seeds were submitted to dormancy overcoming treatments. They were immersed into sulfuric acid for 0 (intact seeds), 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 minutes. Experiment 2: two methods were evaluated for the accelerated aging test at 41ºC, that is, the traditional method and the saturated NaCl solution method with exposure periods of 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. After each treatment, the seeds were subjected to electrical conductivity and germination tests. Seeds overcame their dormancy when immersed into concentrated sulfuric acid for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes, but the germination was faster when immersed for 20 minutes. The different methods for the accelerated aging test, decreased the germination potential and seed vigor of P. moniliformis after 24 hours of exposure. Regarding the method used, the saturated solution provided, in general, the best results since the seed water content was lower, thus reducing the proliferation of fungi. The electrical conductivity test showed that, by increasing the aging period regardless of the method, there is an increase in seed deterioration, corroborating with germination results, which showed that the correlation was moderate and negative and indicated that the higher the conductivity, the lower the percentage and the germination speed index. The immersion of seeds of P. moniliformis into concentrated sulfuric acid for 20 minutes provides a fast and increased germination. The methods for accelerated aging at 41ºC, traditional and saturated solution, can be used as vigor tests to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds.
Highlights
The duration and intensity of the seed deterioration process during storage are determined mainly by the interaction between genetic inheritance, water content/relative humidity and ambient temperature, causing physiological, biochemical, physical and cytological changes
The objective of this work is to evaluate the influence of accelerated aging test on the physiological quality of P. moniliformis seeds
The immersion period in the concentrated sulfuric acid that provided the best germination in the shortest time (20 minutes) was used for overcoming the dormancy of seeds submitted to the accelerated aging test
Summary
The duration and intensity of the seed deterioration process during storage are determined mainly by the interaction between genetic inheritance, water content/relative humidity and ambient temperature, causing physiological, biochemical, physical and cytological changes. Accelerated aging is one of the most widespread vigor tests due to its accuracy and sensitivity in detecting quality differences among seed lots with a similar germination (Pereira, Torres, & Linhares, 2015) This test aims to evaluate seed resistance after a period of exposure to high temperatures and relative humidity (Marcos Filho, 2015). Temperatures above 40°C are known to cause a decreased capacity for RNA and protein biosynthesis, mitochondrial degeneration, increased chromosome fragmentation, membrane lipid peroxidation, and enzymatic changes such as reduced activity of lipases, amylases, proteases, peroxidases, among others (Dotto & Silva, 2017; Bewley, Bradford, Hilhorst, & Nonogaki, 2013; Mahjabin & Abidi, 2015) This results in a decreased germination speed and percentage, as well as in an increased formation of abnormal seedlings (Marcos Filho, 2015). Seed lots that maintain a high germination rate after accelerated aging are considered of high vigor when compared to lots with a reduced viability (Pereira, Martins Filho, & Laviola, 2012)
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