Water content in harvested seed and the drying temperature are fundamental for ensuring seed physiological quality, especially in sorghum, which may show secondary dormancy when dried at high temperatures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of sorghum seeds, with high and low tannin contents, stored after drying at different temperatures. Seeds of the BR 305(2.28 g tannin/100 g) and BR 310 (0.52 g tannin/100 g) cultivars were collected with a water content of 18-20% and dried in the shade and in artificial dryers at temperatures of 35 °C, 45 °C and 35/45 °C until water content was 12%. After drying, the seeds were stored in a cold, dry chamber for 0, 3 and 6 months. For each storage period the seeds were evaluated with germination, tetrazolium, electric conductivity, emergence velocity index, cold, scanning electron microscopy and enzyme profile tests. Tannin concentration was also measured. High tannin seeds showed 88.5% germination when dried at 45 °C and stored for 6 months. Dormancy increased in both batches for seeds dried at 35 °C and with increased tannin concentration at six months storage.
Sorghum bicolor; temperature; moisture
