QUALITY OF CORN SEEDS STORED IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF PACKAGING AND STRESS CONDITIONS

Resumo

Corn (Zea mays) is one of the most cultivated poaceae in the world with high agricultural potential. It is propagated through seeds, which sometimes remain stored until the sowing period. Among the various forms of storage, some aspects related to the environment and the type of material that constitutes the packaging may compromise the viability and vigor of these seeds. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of corn seeds stored in different types of packaging and subjected to conditions of high temperature and relative humidity throughout storage. For this purpose, water content, germination and vigor were evaluated through the cold test. A completely randomized design in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme (packaging x evaluation times) with four replications was used. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and regression, and the means were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability, using the Sisvar 5.3 statistical software. It was concluded that, in 45 days of storage, the water content in corn seeds reached values of up to 13.62%, which resulted in a reduction in the vigor due to high respiration caused by the storage temperature.