The objective of this research was to study, using corn seed lots, the possibility of establishing relations between vigor data obtained in the laboratory with those observed in the field. To do so, twenty eight corn seed lots (treatments) of the Al Bandeirante open-pollinated variety were standardized regarding seed moisture content, width, length and germination. Afterwards, seed vigor tests were conducted in the laboratory (group A: modified cool germination test; accelerated aging; germination under variations in water availability; radicle, shoot and seedling length under variations in water availability) and in the field (group B: seedling emergence). In order to compare means the 5% Tukey test was used; in addition, the seed lots were assigned points according to a ranking order of performance observed in each evaluation, following criteria of absolute and statistical classifications, so to group them in order of performance in the A and B test groups. Interpretation of vigor data resulting from a group of tests acquires a complexity directly proportional to the number of tests and lots being compared. In this way, the use of absolute classification surpasses the statistical classification in the tasks of qualitatively ranking corn seed lots according to their general performance and, in addition, quantifies the relationship among the responses observed in the laboratory with those obtained in the field
Zea mays; germination; quality evaluation
