Efecto del calibre semilla (masa) en la germinación del sorgo

The research was carried out at the Base Scientific Technological Unit “Los Palacios”, Cuba, with the objective of determining the effect of the size of the seed (mass) of sorghum in its germination during the dry periods of 2017 and 2018. He worked with two cultivars of sorghum CIAP 132R and ISIAP Dorado. The first experiment was developed in Petri dishes and the second in metal trays (0.70 x 0.50 x 0.08 m), which contained a  Gleysol Nodular ferruginoso petroferrico. Six calibers of seeds (mass) were evaluated in the two experiments: M1 (0.015 - 0.020 g); M2 (0.021-0.025 g); M3 (0.026 - 0.030 g); M4 (0.031 - 0.035 g); M5 (0.036 - 0.040 g) and the control treatment (mixture of seed size). The germination percentage (PG) was evaluated in time, with a 24 h interval until 96 h after sowing, the germination speed index (IVG), the average number of days to germination (NMDG) and the accumulation of aerial dry mass (MSA) at 10 days after the emergency (DDE). It was found that always the highest seed size (mass) corresponded to the highest PG, IVG and lowest NMDG in both cultivars. The quality indicators PG, IVG and NMDG deteriorate less in the greater seed caliber, in addition to that, to the 10 DDE accumulated greater MSA. A strong and positive relationship was found between the PG and the MSA, which indicated a dependence on the germinative power of the seed.