Studies have suggested that the hydration of seeds can be affected by the physiologic quality.In order to study the relationships among the variations on initial hydration, size and physiologic quality of soybean seeds this research was carried out at the Seed Analysis Laboratory of the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz-Universidade de São Paulo. Three lots (cv.BRS-157) with different physiologic quality had the seeds standardized according to thickness (5,16 mm) and submitted to hydration at 20 ºC in variable periods (3, 6, 9 and 12h). After hydration, seeds were classified according to thickness the individual frequency in each fraction was estimated, followed by evaluations of physiologic quality. Physiologic quality affected water content and the thickness reached by the soybean seeds during hydration; therefore, it is possible to compare the relative physiologic quality of lots by using the thickness frequency data in moisturized seeds.
hydration; physiologic quality; soybean seeds; imbibition
