Sanity of different corn seed cultivars

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most economically important cereals in the world, being a significant component of both as human and animal feed. During cultivation and storage seeds can be affected by a diversity of fungi and bacteria, the incidence of these pathogens in corn seeds can introduce pathogens in free areas, cause a decrease in germination and vigor of seedlings consequently causing qualitative and quantitative losses. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the presence of pathogens in the seeds of different maize cultivars. The experiment was carried out with samples of seed lots, using a total of ten maize cultivars, with six replicates for each cultivar, which were: Morgan MG652PWY, Morgan MG669PWY, DKB 390 Pro2PA, SSA82EVIP, KWS K9822 VIP3, KWS Rb9110 PRO 2, Syngenta 522, Syngenta Viptera fórmula, Sempre 20A20 Top 2, Sempre 20A44 VIP 3. The seeds were plated in the blotter test method, kept in a freezer (-20 ºC) for 48 hours for germination inhibition, then arranged on a bench at room temperature, always keeping the seeds moist, for a period of 10 to 14 days. The seeds were examined individually with the aid of a stereomicroscope with resolution of 30-80X, to verify the occurrence of fruiting typical of fungal growth. According to the results found, it was possible to verify the presence of three fungi: Aspergillus sp, Fusarium sp e Penicillium sp and bacteria. Among the fungi, Penicillium sp was the one that had the highest occurrence, since it was manifested in almost all cultivars analyzed, except in the cultivars Syngenta 522 and Syngenta Viptera formula and the highest index was in the cultivar KWS K9822 VIP3.