Behavior of fungi and of bean seeds during the artificial aging test

Abstract

Although recommended for evaluation of seed lot vigor, artificial aging test shows results variability for reasons yet to be elucidated. Seed-fungi association is considered one of the causes responsible for such variation. The goal of this work was to verify the effects of periods of artificial aging on bean seed behavior and on Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum fungi artificially inoculated by contact method. Health, germination, tetrazolium, emergence, electrical conductivity and potassium leaching tests were performed for seed behavior evaluation. The answers achieved, besides dependable on the aging time period, indicated the effect of fungi species associated to the seed. The artificial aging test was found to be associated with the expression of physiological and sanitary causes that interfere with data interpretation; the presence of fungi, mainly Aspergillus spp., may be considered capable of interfering in the behavior of artificially aged seeds in a negative way.