The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different harvesting periods on the physiological quality of barley seeds. Seeds of cultivars MN 721 and Scarlett were used. The seeds were harvested at 118, 129 and 140 days after sowing. The humidity at the time of sampling was 25%, 18% and 13% in the first, second and third harvests respectively for the cultivar MN 721, and for the cultivar Scarlett it was 26%, 19% and 13%, respectively for the same periods. The seeds were oven-dried by forced air circulation down to 13% moisture content and then stored in a cold room (T 17 ºC and RH 45-50%). Before analysis, the seed was subjected to pre-cooling of 5 to 10 ºC for seven days to break dormancy. The seeds were evaluated by the standard germination tests, first count of germination, seedling length (shoot and root), dry weight (shoot and root), tetrazolium and accelerated ageing for each cultivar at the different harvest times after breaking dormancy. After harvesting, barley cultivars show a high level of dormancy. Depending on the cultivar, dormancy is most pronounced when seeds are harvested with a humidity content around 13%. The barley seeds with better physiological quality were obtained with moisture contents of 26% (118 days after sowing) and 18% (129 days after sowing) for the Scarlett and MN 721 cultivars, respectively.
Hordeum vulgare L; moisture; vigor; germination
