Abstract

The present work aimed to evaluate the germination, emergence, vigor and initial development of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars. Nine cultivars belonging to the crespa group, Cinderella, Monica SF 31, Mimosa (Salad Bowl), Veneranda, Brava, Cerbiatta (Catalonha), Itapua Super, Itaúna Prisée, Simpson and Vitória de Verão were used. The experiment was conducted to ensure the accuracy of the comparisons. The variables analyzed were: Germination, emergence, first germination and emergency counting, mean germination and emergency time, mean germination and emergence velocity, germination and emergency uncertainty index, germination and emergency synchrony, and relative frequency of germination and emergency. In order to obtain the emergency data, it was necessary to use a refrigerated room to give optimal conditions for the seeds and in the initial stage, an acclimatization for a salable development of newly emerged seedlings. For experimental design, completely randomized (CRD) was used for laboratory conditions and randomized blocks (RB) for the field, with four replicates of 25 seeds per treatment. The data were submitted for analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were compared by the Tukey test at 5% probability. The analyses were carried out using SISVAR software 5.6. Cultivar Itaúna obtained the best results in physiological quality evaluations, being recommended for planting in regions of Northeastern Brazil.

Key words: Lactuca sativa L., germination, emergence.