The evaluation of Sesbania virgata seed physiological quality is hampered by its intrinsic seed dormancy and inadequate methodologies among available tests. To develop an adequate procedure to evaluate S. virgata seed quality, methods for dormancy breaking and tetrazolium test accomplishment were evaluated. In a first stage, seeds from five lots were submitted to dormancy breaking methods: sandpaper, acid and tegument cuts, followed by germination tests. To characterize lots and adapt a tetrazolium-test, in a second stage, seeds were sanded in the area opposite to the embryonic axis and submitted to the following tests: tetrazolium, germination, vigor index, fresh and dry weight. Two preconditioning conditions (soaked paper for 18 h at 30 ºC and immersion in water for 12 h at 30 ºC) and three immersion timespan (one, two and three hours) in tetrazolium solution 0.5 % were used. In the S. virgata lot profile analysis, variations were detected in its physiological quality according to vigor index and germination results. Scarification method with sandpaper better broke S. virgata seed dormancy, and preconditioning seeds in soaked paper followed by immersion in tetrazolium solution for two hours was the appropriate procedure to assess seed viability.
Viability; tetrazolium; vigour index; Sesbania virgata
