Abstract

Seed quality control is becoming increasingly important, since the market is increasingly competitive. The planting operation process should occur in order to avoid mechanical damage, which may affect the seed quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mechanical damage caused by meter mechanisms (mechanical and pneumatic) on physical and physiological quality of corn seeds. The experiment was carried out in a Rhodic Hapludox, Southeast Brazil. A randomized block design with 2 × 3 factorial scheme (metering mechanism x seed shape) was used. The corn variety used was a corn hybrid SYN5R27. The seed samples were collected before and after the planter run, and the seed performance was evaluated by germination, accelerated aging, cold test, emergency in the soil and determination of mechanical damages with iodine. The metering mechanisms (mechanical and pneumatic) did not affect the seed quality, except for the saturated cold test that estimates the germination potential of the seeds under adverse conditions. Due to a better adaptation of the disks, the flat seeds presented less damage.

Key words: Mechanical meter, pneumatic planter, physiological quality, planting performance.