Abstract
Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological potential of seeds of white oat cultivars grown at different sowing dates and densities. Two independent experiments were conducted with two different sowing dates in a randomized block experimental design in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, with four replications. The treatments consisted of four sowing densities (180, 240, 300, and 360 viable seed.m-2) and two cultivars (IPR Afrodite and IPR Artemis). The following evaluations were made: thousand seed weight, germination percentage, first germination count, seedling length, seedling dry matter, emergence speed index, and seedling emergence in sand. Joint analysis of variance was carried out on the data regarding sowing dates separately for the cultivars. The mean values for sowing dates were compared by the F test; and polynomial regression analysis up to the second degree at 5% probability was conducted on the densities. The seeds produced by the plants grown from the first sowing date had better vigor than those produced by plants from the later sowing date. The increase in sowing density reduces the weight and vigor of the seeds produced by plants from the second sowing date. For the IPR Afrodite and IPR Artemis cultivars, the use of 180 seed.m-2 in the first growing period allows production of seeds with greater physiological potential.
Highlights
Seed quality is one of the main factors that affect establishment and performance of crops, and it is related to the sum of the genetic, physical, physiological, and health aspects that affect the capacity of seeds to give rise to highyielding plants (Marcos-Filho, 2015)
For the IPR Artemis cultivar, a significant interaction was found between the sowing date and sowing density factors for the thousand seed weight, first germination count, seedling length, and seedling dry matter traits
Results for the IPR Afrodite cultivar showed that period 1 favored first germination count of seeds (Table 1), just as observed by Venske et al (2015) who evaluated the effect of two sowing dates (10/18 and 11/19) on the physiological quality of rice seeds produced in Capão do Leão, Brazil, and found that the percentage of normal seedlings in first germination count was higher in the first growing period
Summary
Seed quality is one of the main factors that affect establishment and performance of crops, and it is related to the sum of the genetic, physical, physiological, and health aspects that affect the capacity of seeds to give rise to highyielding plants (Marcos-Filho, 2015). The quantity and quality of seeds produced can be maximized by sowing at periods of the year that favor the growth, development, and yield performance of the plant This management practice is characterized by changing the relationships among the meteorological elements available to the crop during its cycle (Silva et al, 2011; TafernaberriJúnior et al, 2012; Bornhofen et al, 2015). This plant growing strategy combines the different phenological stages of the crop with the environmental conditions most favorable to the plant, which has a positive impact on the production and distribution of assimilates and, on seed yield and quality (Toledo et al, 2009). According to Caron et al (2017), the characterization of phenological modifications that occur in plants as a result of contrasting sowing dates is important for defining the adoption of crop practices that assist in taking better advantage of environmental conditions and in maximizing the yield of better quality seeds from each sowing/growing period
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