The effect of different doses of the gamma irradiation was studied on germination and percentage of fungal infection in peanut seeds cultivar BR1. Initially the seeds were evaluated for the mycoflora using the method of humidified filter paper, the germination in paper substratum germitest and determination of the moisture content in oven at 105 ± 2 ºC. Later on the seeds were submitted to irradiation with a source of 60Co, type gammacell, where the effect was studied of 8 doses of irradiation in the mycoflora and germination of the seeds conditioned in PET packing and polyethylene tressed during 60 days of storage, without control of temperature and relative humidity of the air. The studied factors (doses in kGy, packing and time of storage) were analyzed in a completely randomized design arranged in factorial. Scheme-based on the results, it was observed that gamma irradiation affected negatively the germination of the peanut seeds, and that doses above 3.0 kGy completely undermine the germination of seeds. The radiation eliminated the fungus Aspergillus niger under the dose of 1.5 kGy and the Penicillium under the dose of 2.5 kGy.
gamma irradiation; germination; storage
