Teste de raios x na avaliação da qualidade de sementes de abóbora

Abstract

Cucurbits seeds have a thick seed coat that makes it difficult to view their internal morphology. To evaluate the efficiency of the X-ray test to detect internal damage and to evaluate the pumpkin seed quality, ten lots with different quality levels were used. Seeds were submitted to radiation intensity of 40, 45 and 50 kV and exposition times of 20, 25 and 30 seconds, in a Faxitron HP model 43855A X-ray equipment. After defining the exposure time and radiation intensity that provided the best visualization of seed internal structures, the X-ray test was carried out in four repetitions of 100 seeds, by lot, to determine the percentage of empty seeds, full seeds and translucent seeds. Seed lots that showed these three categories in sufficient quantities (seven), were submitted to the germination test to evaluate the influence of internal morphology on physiological quality. In a second phase, the seeds of another three lots were divided, one part was radiographed, theother was not radiographed, and both were stored for one year. The X-ray test conducted with 45kV radiation intensity of for 25 seconds was effective to identify internal damage in pumpkin seeds that negatively affected their physiological quality. The seed exposure to radiation did not affect the physiological quality, even after storage for one year.