The fast and safe establishment of pastures by means of high quality seeds is a basic condition to the success of its production. With the purpose of contributing towards the solution of problems inherent to the seeds of Brachiaria brizantha, such as poor vigor and non-uniformity of germination, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of the physiological conditioning on the quality of these seeds. The trial, accomplished in the Seed Analysis Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture of the Federal University of Lavras, was conducted with different solutes (PEG 6000, KNO3 and PEG 6000 + KNO3), water potentials (-0.9; -1.1 and 1.4 MPa), conditioning periods (12, 24, 48 and 72 hours) and two checks (with and without scarification, with no osmoconditioning). The effects of the treatments were evaluated by germination tests, root protrusion velocity index and time to occurrence of 50% of germination. It was possible to conclude that the physiological conditioning promotes greater vigor when the seeds are immersed in solution for a 12 hour period, at more negative water potentials.
Glycol polyethylene; potassium nitrate; conditioning
