Seeds for forming ornamental and sports lawns has been very important in Brazil, mainly because of the lower cost compared to formatting lawns using plaques of natural carpets. Bermuda grass, [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers], is the main grass used on sports fields but one of the problems is establishing a suitable stand, a task that requires high quality seeds for rapid seedling emergence and initial plant development. The objective of this research was to study procedures for the accelerated ageing test to determine the physiological potential of seeds of this species, including the evaluation of the efficiency of using saturated salt solution as an alternative to doing the test. Five seed lots were tested for germination, first count of germination, seedling emergence and accelerated ageing (periods of 48, 72 and 96 h at 41 and 45 ºC, with and without the use of a saturated solution of NaCl). The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design. Among the procedures evaluated, the saturated salt accelerated ageing method (SSAA) is the most suitable for assessing the physiological potential of bermuda grass seeds. The combination 45 ºC/48 h is the most efficient for classifying seed lots according to vigor.
Cynodon dactylon; Gramineae; vigor; germination; saturated solution of NaCl
