This work study was carried out to evaluate the effects of different flooding periods during germination and in the bean seeds vigor at UNOESTE Seed Analysis Laboratory. Seeds were submitted to flooding periods of 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48h at 25ºC. Moisture content was taken before and after flooding periods. The germination test and physiological parameters, such as hypocotyl and root length and their dry weights, were obtained after periods of flooding. Results showed that germination and vigor decreased subsequently to flooding, germination decreased 55 percentage points after 8h of seed submersion. There were differentiation differences between among seed lots in germination tests after flooding periods equal to, or higher than 8h. Dead seed number and inhibition in hypocotyl and root development, shown in this work study, increased with the submersion time. In conclusion, eight hours of flooding cause irreversible damage to bean culture establishment, and the same periods of submersion, in the laboratory, could be a very good indicative to differentiate seed physiological quality.
flooding; seeds; Phaseolus vulgaris
