Different procedures of the accelerated aging test were evaluated to obtain the physiological quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seeds and the efficiency of using saturated salt solution in the control of water uptake by seeds. Five seed lots of the cv Rubi, were tested for germination, seedling emergence, conventional accelerated aging and salt saturated accelerated aging tests. Results showed that the accelerated aging test (conventional and salt saturated), using the 72 and 96 h, at 38 or 41ºC combinations was sufficiently sensitive to detect differences in physiological quality of cucumber seeds. We observed that seed water content after the salt saturated accelerated aging was lower and more uniform, thus presenting advantages in relation to the conventional procedure.
Cucumis sativus; physiological potential; vigor
