Physiological quality of pelleted Cubiu (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) seeds

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different coating materials on the physiological quality of cubiu seeds. This was evaluated with three agglomerate materials (manioc starch, inert talc and dolomitic limestone) and two binder polymers (polyvinyl acetate and gum arabic) with 30% concentration, and artificial dye finishing. The experimental design was completely randomized, in factorial scheme 3 (agglomerates) x 2 (binders), and additional treatment (bare seeds/control), containing four replicates and experimental units of fifty seeds/pellets. The seeds were evaluated for: yield; seed/pellet diameter; thousand seed weight; number of seeds per pellets; germination; germination speed index; mean germination time, seedling length; fresh and dry mass of the seedling and emergence. In general, pelletizing increased the weight and diameter of the propagation unit. The physical barrier applied to the seeds by pelletizing did not influence the germination, but delayed the germination rate concerning to bare seeds, and this effect was not observed in emergence seedling. The coating with dolomitic limestone and polyvinyl acetate presented the best results of germination and vigor.