Physical and physiological quality of oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Turquesa) seeds

Abstract

bjective: The objective of this study was to determine the physical and physiological quality of a batch of oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Turquesa) seeds.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The following physical quality variables were evaluated: seed purity, weight of a thousand seeds, volumetric weight, and moisture content. Physiological quality was evaluated through a germination and emergence speed test, which also was used to measure seed vigor. A completely randomized experimental design, with factorial arrangement, and four repetitions was used. The factors analyzed were seed size (small and large) and aging (with and without aging).

Results: The following results were recorded: 99.52% seed purity; 34.31 g weight of a thousand seeds; 54.80 kg hl^-1 volumetric weight; and 6.50% moisture content. Regarding treatment germination, no significant differences were found between the seed size and the size × aging interaction (P = 0.422). The aging treatment reduced germination from 96.50% (unaged seeds) to 89.25% (aged seeds). The emergence speed did not show significant differences regarding seed size (P = 0.066) and size × aging interaction (P = 0.868). The aging treatment had a negative impact on the emergence rate. The aged seeds emerged at a 15.55 plants d^-1 speed, while unaged seeds reached a 17.88 plants d^-1 speed. Study Limitations/Implications: This study only evaluated one batch of oat seeds. Findings/Conclusions: The seeds have an adequate physical and physiological quality to establish oat crops. In addition, the seed batch was highly vigorous, because it maintained >80% germination rate after the aging treatment.