The research had as objective the evaluation of the effects of storage environmental conditions on the quality of sorghum (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf) seeds from different origins. Five lots from different origins were stored for nine months, in paper bags, in four environmental conditions: natural laboratory environment (without relative humidity and temperature control); 30 to 40% relative humidity and without temperature control (simulated by a dry chamber); 5 to 7% relative humidity and 10 to 15ºC temperature (simulated by a Frost Free refrigerator); 40 to 50% relative humidity and -20ºC temperature (simulated by a freezer). Quarterly laboratory evaluations consisted of seed water content, weight of 1000 seeds, germination, seedling growth, seedling dry weight, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, seedling emergence in the field, and speed of emergence-index. A completely random design was employed, as a 4 x 5 factorial experiment (environmental conditions x lots), with four replications. The origins of the seeds, related to their quality, was shown to be the main factor that influenced their conservation. The environments of the refrigerator and freezer, followed by the dry chamber were shown to be suitable for sorghum conservation. The conservation capacity of sorghum seeds is related to their initial quality and origin.
Sorghum sudanense; vigor; germination; storage environmental conditions; origins
