Physiological performance of white oat seeds coated with zinc

Abstract

The physiological seed quality is a major factor affecting the culture performance and is related to genetic attributes, physical, physiological and seed sanitary. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the physiological potential of seeds of three white oat cultivars treated with zinc. The experiment was conducted in the seed analysis laboratory of the Federal University of Santa Maria campus Frederico Westphalen-RS in Septem­ber 2014. Was used the completely randomized design, with the treatments distributed in a factorial 3 x 5, being three white oat cultivars (Taura, Guria and Fapa 43) and five doses of the product Teprosyn™ Zn (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mL kg^-1 seed), with four repetitions of 100 seeds. The physiological quality of treated seeds was evaluated by the germination test, first count, length of radicle, cold test and accelerated aging test. The germination of the seeds of the cultivars Guria, Taura and Fapa 43 is not affected for doses of zinc up to 20 mg kg^-1 of seed. The dose of 10 mL kg^-1 seed provides the best results for culture, with a significant increase on its vigor, differently among cultivars, through the increment in root length of the cultivars Guria and Fapa 43 and accelerated aging for the cultivars Taura and Fapa 43. The cultivar Taura showed the highest physi­ological potential, since has obtained the highest germination values, and greater vigor in the cold tests and radicle length.

Additional keywords: Avena sativa L.; micronutrient; seed treatment.