Influence of storage on physiological quality of the seeds of maize populations under moisture and mineral stresses

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the storage effect on seed physiological quality of five tropical maize (Zea mays L.) populations, under stress conditions, including acid soil and drought. Five maize populations (CMS06, CMS35, CMS36, CMS54 and Milho Metro) were cultivated in soils with two types of fertility (67% of base saturation and 54% of Al saturation), with and without irrigation during flowering. After harvest, the seeds were stored in the laboratory under environmental conditions. The physiological quality of seeds, germination and vigor, were determined in the start of the storage, 30, 90 and 210 days after starting storage. The seeds of the population CMS36 presented higher vigor when produced under high aluminum saturation. The population CMS54 presented highest stability related to physiological quality. The seeds of the populations CMS35, CMS36, CMS54 and Milho Metro presented higher stability related to physiological quality than the CMS06, during storage.