Desempenho fisiológico de sementes de Crotalaria ochroleuca durante o armazenamento.

Sunn hemps are widely used as green manure, but the availability of seeds with high physiological quality is still a challenge. Proper storage conditions contribute to maintaining the physiological quality of newly harvested seeds, and, thus, it is essential to know the ideal conditions during storage. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological performance of Crotalaria ochroleuca seeds during storage in different environments. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replications, in subplots divided over time. Seeds were placed in paper bags and stored in an uncontrolled environment and in a climate-controlled chamber. The evaluations were carried out at the beginning and at each 90 days, until 270 days of storage, through the first count, germination, germination speed index, accelerated aging, field emergence, aerial and root length, aerial and root dry mass seedling. Seeds stored in an uncontrolled environment showed higher germination (above 75%) than in the climate-controlled chamber for up to 270 days of storage. Seeds of C. ochroleuca showed high physiological performance for up to 150-days storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]