PHYSIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF CHICKPEA (CICER ARIETINUM L.) SEEDS UNDER STORAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATIONSABSTRACT
Chickpea has recently gained prominence in agriculture, being an excellent option for crop rotation in areas cultivated with soybean or corn. Seeds must have good physiological quality, mainly during storage, to ensure crop success. Seeds undergo metabolic reactions that impair their performance when stored improperly. In this context, a study was carried out to evaluate the physiological variables of the chickpea cultivar BRS Aleppo in different types of packaging and storage environments. The analyses were performed with seeds evaluating water content, germination, first count, and accelerated aging, according to established standards. Therefore, the physiological quality of chickpea seeds can be preserved through controlled storage in hermetic packaging, thus ensuring their viability and vigor over time.
packaging; drying; post-harvest
INTRODUCTION
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) belong to the family Fabaceae and have a wide range of uses in the food market due to their high protein value. This legume is part of the pulses group (dry seed legumes), which also includes dry beans, peas, and lentils, and is considered the third most produced legume in the world (ICRISAT, 2017; Lima et al., 2021a). In 2018, a significant increase in the area cultivated with chickpea was observed in Brazil, which signals promising opportunities for local agribusiness, as the plant can be grown in several regions of the country (Seed News, 2019).
The use of high-quality seeds is essential for the success of a crop, making it crucial to acquire seeds that present the necessary attributes of physiological, sanitary, physical, and genetic quality (Machado et al., 2020). According to Fiabane & Lazaretti (2023), the physiological quality of seeds can be compromised by several factors that occur throughout the production process and after harvesting.
Selecting the most appropriate method of seed preservation after harvesting and drying is essential, and packaging is a crucial factor in preserving quality over time. According to Baudet et al. (2019), packaging plays a vital role in protecting seeds, in addition to other functions such as separation and identification, facilitating transportation and storage, and protection against damage caused by organisms and adverse environmental conditions. Packaging must be resistant to transport, have adequate porosity or impermeability, be flexible or rigid, durable, and reusable, allow for easy printing, and be transparent or opaque and resistant to insects and rodents.
Physical and physiological quality analyses are performed to assess whether seed lots are stored properly, as described in the Rules for Seed Testing (Brasil, 2009), including moisture content, germination test, first germination count, and accelerated aging. Silva et al. (2022) conducted a similar study but with moisture levels considered high for hermetic packaging.
To explore this issue, this study was designed to analyze the viability of chickpea seeds under different storage conditions, using hermetic and semi-hermetic packaging.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The research was conducted at the Laboratory of Agrotechnology of the Federal University of Pelotas, using chickpea seeds of the Aleppo cultivar.
The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, using two packaging varieties (hermetic and paper) and two different environments (one with controlled temperature at 15 °C and the other conventional, without temperature and humidity control), over four storage periods: initial, 30, 60, and 90 days. Each treatment had four replicates, as described below:
CTRL: Control – no storage – time: zero days.
T130: Storage on paper in a conventional environment for 30 days.
T230: Storage on paper in a controlled environment for 30 days.
T330: Storage with hermetic packaging in a conventional environment for 30 days.
T430: Storage with hermetic packaging in a controlled environment for 30 days.
T160: Storage on paper in a conventional environment for 60 days.
T260: Storage on paper in a controlled environment for 60 days.
T360: Storage with hermetic packaging in a conventional environment for 60 days.
T460: Storage with hermetic packaging in a controlled environment for 60 days.
T190: Storage on paper in a conventional environment for 90 days.
T290: Storage on paper in a controlled environment for 90 days.
T390: Storage with hermetic packaging in a conventional environment for 90 days.
T490: Storage with hermetic packaging in a controlled environment for 90 days.
The storage period began in August 2022 and ended in December 2022. Climate data were observed during this period, according to Table 1 (Brasil, 2023).
Initially, the samples had a moisture content of 13% and were dried in an oven at 35 °C until they reached 9% moisture before being stored in their packaging. The samples were taken for water content analysis after 90 days of storage.
Water content – It was measured using the conventional method of drying in an oven at 105 ± 3 °C for 24 hours (Brasil, 2009). Seed dry mass was then calculated, with th e results being presented in mg seed−1.
Germination test – Fifty seeds were sown per experimental group, distributed between three layers of germitest paper, rolled, and moistened with an amount of distilled water corresponding to 2.5 times the dry weight. Subsequently, the rolls were placed in a controlled environment at 20 °C. Measurements were taken on the fifth and tenth day after sowing, and the results were presented as a percentage of normal seedlings, according to the guidelines established by the Rules for Seed Testing (RAS) (Brasil, 2009).
First germination count – It was conducted together with the germination test, with evaluation four days after sowing, and the results were presented as a percentage (Brasil, 2009).
Accelerated aging – A single layer of 200 seeds was distributed evenly in a mesh connected to a germination box (gerbox) containing 40 mL of unsaturated sodium chloride solution (11 g NaCl to 100 mL distilled water). The germination boxes were sealed and maintained in a BOD chamber at 41 °C for 24 hours. The germination test was performed after this time interval, with four replicates of 50 seeds per treatment, with counting on the fourth day, following the criteria established by the Rules for Seed Testing (Brasil, 2009).
Statistical analyses – The data were evaluated for their normal distribution and homogeneity of variances. Subsequently, the data were subjected to analysis of variance. The impacts of the types of packaging and environments were examined using the F-test with a 5% significance level. The effects of the different storage periods were analyzed using regression methods, selecting the most appropriate models based on their biological behavior, the relevance of model coefficients, and the value of the coefficient of determination (R2). The statistical software R was used for data analysis.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The chickpea seeds showed a variation in water content during the 90 days of storage; the initial water content was 9%. The treatments with non-hermetic packaging (paper) and without environmental control obtained the highest levels. This variation can be attributed to the phenomenon of hygroscopic equilibrium, in which seeds, as hygroscopic materials, absorb or release water in response to the humidity conditions of the environment (Lima et al., 2021b). Initially, the seeds were stored with a water content of 9% and tended to absorb water because the ambient humidity was high (Table 1), increasing their content to 13%.
On the other hand, the seeds showed an equilibrium with lower moisture (9%) at the end of the 90-day period in the treatment with a controlled and hermetic environment. Silva et al. (2022) found the same trend in hermetic packaging even with a higher initial value. Therefore, understanding the variation process is crucial for maintaining seed quality, as understanding the seed’s equilibrium with the environment, called hygroscopic equilibrium, can affect seed viability and germination.
The treatment with paper and hermetic storage in a conventional environment resulted in an increase in water content to 13% and 11%, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest levels of water content were found under controlled conditions, where both packages reached 9% water content after 90 days of storage.
Table 2 shows a statistically significant difference in the different treatments and the different analyses over the 90 days of storage. The evaluation of normal seedlings at 60 days showed stability in seed germination when a conventional environment without temperature and humidity control was used. However, a reduction in germination and an increase in the percentage of abnormal seedlings, hard seeds, and dead seeds were observed after 90 days under these conditions. The statistical difference was lower in the three periods when the hermetic packaging was used in the controlled environment, indicating better physiological quality under these conditions.
Capilheira et al. (2019) demonstrated that the use of hermetic packaging results in superior preservation of the physiological quality of soybean seeds compared to permeable packaging during a storage period of up to 180 days under uncontrolled environmental conditions. However, Silva et al. (2022) obtained decreasing responses after 45 days of storage using chickpea seeds in hermetic packaging and an initial 11% humidity. Our study showed quality for up to 90 days with a 9% initial humidity, corroborating what was found by Capilheira et al. (2019) with soybean seeds and reaffirming that initial humidity in hermetic packaging is essential for maintaining quality.
Figure 1 shows a comparison between the germination analyses in the conventional environment using both paper (T1) and hermetic packaging (T2). The hermetic storage showed no variations as those in conventional storage, which presented a sharp reduction in normal seedlings in 90 days, making them unsuitable for commercialization due to their low quality. This drop in germination evidences a deterioration process because there was a significant increase in abnormal seedlings.
Germination of chickpea seeds after four storage periods (0, 30, 60, and 90 days) in a conventional environment using paper (A), controlled environment using hermetic packaging (B), controlled environment using paper (C), and controlled environment using hermetic packaging (D).
According to Santos et al. (2023), seed quality is impaired by exposure to high temperatures and high humidity during storage, which accelerates seed deterioration. This degradation is explained by the significant increase in abnormal seedlings, resulting from adverse storage conditions, such as high temperatures and high humidity. According to Delouche et al. (1973), the speed of seed deterioration is influenced by genetic factors, forms of handling, and storage conditions. The seed deterioration rate throughout the storage period is influenced by several factors, with temperature and relative humidity generally cited as the most important, in addition to the type of packaging, which will determine the deterioration rate and, consequently, the maintenance of the physiological quality of seeds.
Kraft® paper in the controlled environment (T3) showed similarity to the Kraft® paper in the conventional environment, with a marked reduction at 90 days, also influenced by an increase in abnormal seedlings. Hermetic packaging (T4) in this condition showed the best performance for storage, as there was a slight decrease in germination and the number of abnormal seedlings over the 90 days compared to semi-hermetic packaging. According to Toledo et al. (2009), the reduction in quality is generally translated by a decrease in the percentage of germination, an increase in abnormal seedlings, and a reduction in seedling vigor.
Figure 2 shows the first count analyses. Figures 2A and 2B represent the conventional environment, showing that the seed vigor dropped sharply at 90 days of storage when using paper compared to hermetic packaging. This decrease in vigor occurs in the first 30 days of storage.
First count (FC) of chickpea seeds after four storage periods (0, 30, 60, and 90 days) in a conventional environment using paper (A), controlled environment using hermetic packaging (B), controlled environment using paper (C), and controlled environment using hermetic packaging (D).
Silva et al. (2022) also analyzed chickpea seeds and found a linear reduction in germination throughout the storage period in both types of packaging. The percentage of germination, which was initially 83%, gradually decreased until reaching its lowest values of 46% and 38%, respectively, in the paper and hermetic packaging after 135 days of storage. Importantly, the initial humidity of storage was 11%. This result is relevant to the present study, as it confirms that natural deterioration of seeds during storage occurs regardless of the type of packaging. The reduction in germination observed in both studies is attributed to the physiological degradation of seeds over time.
The controlled scenario presented a reduction in germination in both packages only after 60 days of storage.
The accelerated aging test (Figure 3) evaluated the degree of tolerance of seeds to stress, and all treatments showed a decrease in germination. The reduction was constant in the paper packaging, while in hermetic packaging showed a rapid decrease after 30 days. It suggests that 9% moisture is not appropriate for preserving seeds in hermetic packaging. Silva et al. (2022) stated that the ideal moisture is 7%.
Accelerated aging (AA) of chickpea seeds after four storage periods (0, 30, 60, and 90 days) in a conventional environment using paper (A), controlled environment using hermetic packaging (B), controlled environment using paper (C), and controlled environment using hermetic packaging (D).
However, Capilheira et al. (2024) conducted physiological quality assessments and concluded that storage at 10 °C and relative humidity of 40% is more efficient in preserving the physiological quality of corn seeds than storage in an uncontrolled environment.
Thus, lower temperatures and humidity are the ideal storage conditions. Packaging can help preserve seeds if they are stored in appropriate conditions. Chickpea seeds stored in hermetic packaging must have a moisture content of less than 9% and can be stored for up to 90 days under storage conditions of 15 °C.
CONCLUSIONS
It is feasible to reduce the impact of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seed deterioration through controlled storage and the use of hermetic packaging.
The use of hermetic packaging slows down the growth of abnormal seedlings during the 90-day storage period.
The viability and vigor of chickpea seeds decrease over time even when stored in different types of packaging and environmental conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Federal University of Pelotas, the Agrotechnology Laboratory, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel – Brazil (CAPES) - Financing Code 001 for the support and funding that made this study possible.
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