Electrical conductivity test applied to seeds of forest species

Resumo

The evaluation of electrical conductivity is one of the fastest tests to evaluate quality and vigour of the seed, however, studies with forest species are scarce. Thus, the aim of this work was to verify the possibility to evaluate the physiological quality of forest seed species by the individual and massal electrical conductivity test in different soaking periods. The experimental material consisted of seeds of the Gallesia integrifolia, Handroanthus chrysotrichus, Lonchocarpus campestris and Pterogyne nitens. For the individual method, 80 repetitions of one seed were used, which were placed in individual containers containing 50 ml of distilled water. The evaluated soaking periods were 2, 4, 6, 8, 24 and 48 h. The tests were placed in a germinator BOD chamber with a constant temperature of 25 ºC. Individual electrical conductivity test was efficient to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds. Periods of soaking best suited to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds, the electrical conductivity test were 48 h to G. integrifolia, 2 h to H. chrysotrichus and 24 h for L. campestris