The electrical conductivity test has the potential to be used by seed companies in quality control but some factors can affect the results of the EC. The object of this study was to evaluate the effect of the number of seeds, water volume and the imbibition time on the electrical conductivity of the solution, on ryegrass seed vigour. Four lots of common ryegrass seeds were used. The test was made at 25 ºC, at imbibition testing times of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours, in 50 and 75mL water, using 50 and 100 seeds. The treatments constituted a factorial, using a completely randomized design with four repetitions. The use of four subsamples of 50 pure seeds soaked in 50mL of de-ionized water is promising for the use of the electrical conductivity test of ryegrass seeds conducted after 1 hour of soaking.
physiological potential; integrity of membranes; vigour
