The objective of this study was to identify the most important variables in the evaluation of stored seed quality of exotic forest species of Rio Grande do Sul. Information on seed analyses was obtained from the database of the Forest Research and Soil Conservation Center - FEPAGRO, Santa Maria/RS. Path coefficients were estimated using the variables: lot purity, thousand seed weight, moisture content, percentage of normal and abnormal seedlings, percentage of hard and dead seeds. The percentage of dead seeds and seed moisture are the variables that most influenced the percentage of normal seedlings of exotic forest species of Rio Grande do Sul.
path coefficients; seed storage; quality control
