Evaluation of raw and coated tobacco seed quality with the conductivity testthe distribution of seeds sowed for crop establishment are made according to the results of germination tests, and vigor tests are used to complement the information on seed quality. However, there are no methods to estimate the vigor of tobacco seeds and the objective of this research was to evaluate the electrical conductivity test to estimate the vigor of tobacco seeds (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Five lots of raw and coated seeds, 'Virginia' variety, 'CSC 439' cultivar, were hydrated in 25 mL of distilled water for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hours at 25 °C with 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0 g of original seeds and 2.5, 4.0 and 5.0 g of coated seeds being used. Germination, first count, seedling emergence and speed of seedling emergence were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized and the means compared by the Tukey test (5%). It is concluded that the conductivity test does not classify the lots of raw and coated tobacco seeds according to the seedling emergence and speed of seedling emergence.
Nicotiana tabacum; seed testing; quality control
