The research had as objective to define the shortest period necessary to carry out B. brizantha cv. Marandu germination test, and determine the dormancy breaking method and the germination temperature, which provides the largest germination in the shortest period of time. In the first part, 30 lots of seeds were submitted to the germination test, under two temperatures regimes (15-35ºC and 20-35ºC), evaluated with three dormancy breaking methods (H2SO4, KNO3, Control), forming six treatments. It was carried out daily counting of the seed germination to define the better date for the end of the test. In the second part, germination tests were carried out in eight lots of distinct vigor levels, in the same six treatments and ending on the date indicated in the first part. For the B. brizantha germination test the treatments that provided the highest germination in the shortest period were the seed scarification with H2SO4 and the temperature of 20-35ºC, for those the germination test can be concluded in 11 days after sowing.
dormancy breaking treatments; scarification; alternating temperatures
