Condicionamento fisiológico de sementes de chicória com Ascophyllum nodosum

Abstract

Seeds of Endive may present low germination potential, which brings a series of problems to horticulture farmers. Therefore, procedures that can promote the improvement of germination capacity of seeds of this species need to be studied. Seed priming may contribute to the improvement of the physiological potential. The use of biostimulants has been shown to be a great technique for increased production and productivity of various crops, although it is still a poorly studied practice for many species, such as Endive, for example. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of seed priming of Endive seeds with Ascophyllum nodosum Biostimulant on germination, seedling growth and nursery plants. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó campus, in the Seeds laboratory and in the greenhouse, in a completely randomized experimental design, with a 2 x 5 factorial scheme (cultivars and doses) and four replications. The treatments consisted of the cultivars Lisa and Crespa, and the doses of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 ml of biostimulant. Kg-1 of seeds. Initially, imbibition curves were performed to define the time to be used in seed priming. After, seeds were primed and submitted to evaluations of: germination, germination speed, length and dry mass of seedlings in laboratory; in a second moment, seed priming was carried out again, and seeds were evaluated, in greenhouse, for: seedling emergence, seedling height and number of leaves at seven, 14, 21 and 28 days after sowing (DAS), and for root length and dry mass of plants at 28 DAS. The results were submitted to analysis of variance and when the F test was significant the regression analysis was performed for the factor dose and Tukey test for cultivars. The results obtained allow to conclude that endive seed priming with 8.5 mL Kg-1 of Ascophyllum nodosum promotes an increase in germination and germination speed, however, none of the used doses positively affects seedlings growth. Endive seed priming with Ascophyllum nodosum does not benefit the production of nursery plants. The Cultivar Crespa was the one that presented better results in relation to the physiological conditioning of Endive seeds with biostimulant, the base of Ascophyllum nodosum.