Tratamento com ácido ascórbico na qualidade fisiológica de sementes de milho envelhecidas artificialmente

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ascorbic acid doses on the treatment of artificially aged corn seeds. The seeds were treated with ascorbic acid at doses: 0.00, 0.02 and 0.03g; diluted in 100 mL of distilled water, and applied a 2 mL aliquot of solution per 100g of seeds. After treatment with ascorbic acid the seeds were submitted to four artificial aging times [0h, 72h, 96h and 120h / 42ºC]. Seed physiological quality was determined by germination, emergence and emergence speed index tests. Treatment with ascorbic acid mitigated the deleterious effects caused by aging on vigor and germination of these corn seeds. There is a need to improve knowledge to reach a complete understanding of the relationships between the treatment of corn seeds with antioxidants, as the results indicate that ascorbic acid participates in the germination process and can help improve seedling vigor.