The objective of this work was to assess the impact of early harvesting of barley on grain germination, along 12 months of storage. A field trial was carried out in 2002 and 2003. The plot yields were stored during the years subsequent to the field trial, and germination was monitored monthly. The following treatments were evaluated: desiccation with glyphosate and paraquat, at 1, 1.5, and 2 L ha-1, and the checks, which were normal and early harvest without desiccation. A randomized block design with three replications was utilized. The early harvest without desiccation treatment had the greatest quality loss regarding grain germination. Qualitative deterioration of grains within time was statistically similar both in treatments with desiccation and those with normal harvest without desiccation. No evidence was found to prove that the use of desiccating herbicides accelerates the process of loss of barley grains germinating power during the storage period, as far as the products and doses tested are concerned.
Hordeum vulgare; germination; desiccant; glyphosate; paraquat
