EFFECT OF WEIGHT AND SIZE OF CORN SEEDS ON GERMINATION AND VIGOR

WALTER RODRIGUES DA SILVA, JÚLIO MARCOS FILHO

 

This work had as its main objective that of studying the effects of weight and
size of corn (Zea mays L.) seeds on its behavior in Iabarotory. Seeds of the double hybrid
AG ? 152 R and of the Piranão variety were pre-cleaned and cleaned, separated by
weight in a gravity separator (heavy and light fractions) and classifield in two size classes,
using round screens 20 and 24. Samples of both varieties were taken prior to separation
by weight and size. The five treatments for each variety thus obtained were caracterized in
relation to moisture content, purity, thousand-seed weight, bulk and density. The
performance and evaluation of treatments conducted three times, at four months intervals,
consisted of germination, first count, accelerated aging and cold tests. Accelerated aging
and cold tests were evaluated according to two different criteria, percent of normal
seedlings and percent of surviving seeds. Separations of seed by weight favored seed
physiological quality, the heavier seeds performing better on germination for both cultivars
and vigor of Piranão cultivar; classification of seedby size favored those of AG?152 R
cultivar held in the 24 screen as to their performance in the germination and vigor tests.
Index terms: Zea mays L., size and weight of seeds, performance of seeds in laboratory,
vigor tests



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