The objective of this study was to verify the efficiency of the electrical conductivity test for physiological quality evaluation of papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds. Initially, seeds from five lots, Tainung 01 hybrid, were submitted to the following tests: seed moisture content, standard germination, first count, accelerated aging, percentage and speed of seedling emergence index and seedling dry weight. Electrical conductivity tests were performed using four replications of 50 seeds, two temperatures (25 and 30ºC), two water volumes (50 and 75mL) and six soaking periods (2, 4, 6, 8, 24 and 48 hours). It was observed that the electrical conductivity increased with the rise of temperature and soaking period but decreased with the increase in water volume. This test was efficient to detect differences in physiological quality of papaya seed lots, especially when the seeds were soaked in 50mL water at 25ºC, or in 75mL water at 30ºC. Under these conditions, the seed soaking period can be reduced to two hours.
papaya; vigor; quick test; ions leakage
