Efeito do beneficiamento sobre qualidade física, fisiológica e sanitária de sementes de trevo persa (Trifolium resupinatum L. var. majus Boiss) cultivar BRS Resteveiro

Abstract

The process of the seeds production is consisted by a sequency of stages, amongst them the processing stage is one of great importance. It is the stage that follows the production of the seeds on the field, responsible for improving the quality of the lot by removing impurities and low potential seeds. Seeds of forage species with indefinite cycles, such as persian clover, may present a high heterogeneity. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of the different processing stages of the seeds in improving the physical, physiological and sanitary features of the lot of persian clover seeds. The processing was realized following this sequence: air and screen separator, trieur and a gravity table. The experiment was consisted of 16 treatments, each one formed by the collected seeds from the different exits of the equipment’s used (T1 – seeds not benefited, T2 – sieve 1 of air and screen separator, T3 – sieve 2 of air and screen separator, T4 – sieve 3 of air and screen separator, T5 – sieve 2 and 4 of air and screen separator, T6 – air 1 of air and screen separator, T7 – air 2 of air and screen separator, T8 - air 3 of air and screen separator, T9 – exit of the air and screen separator, T10 – after lift, T11 – discard of the trieur, T12 – exit of the trieur, T13 – high exit of gravity table, T14 – high intermediate exit of gravity table, T15 – low intermediate exit of gravity table, T16 – discard exit of gravity table). The working sample was obtained for each treatment and those submited to the following determinations: purity, humidity, weight of one thousand seeds, and weight of hectoliter (physical quality); germination, first count of germination, accelerated aging, seedling length, emergence and level of emergence velocity (physiological quality); health test (sanity quality). The experimental design was completely randomized, with sixteen treatments and four replications. The results were analyzed by means of the F test variance as significance of the data were compared by the Scott Knott test, with 5% probability. The sequence of the equipments used in the processing of persian clover seed promoted the improvement of 3 quality features of the seeds analyzed. The lot seed generated from the upper exit of the gravity table showed the best result for physical quality, a higher percentage of pure seeds, as well as denser seeds; a higher percentage of germination and emergence of seedlings, obtaining more vigorous seedlings and with faster emergence; less incidence of Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium sp.