Chemical treatment and size of corn seed on physiological and sanitary quality during storage

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of treatment with insecticides and fungicides on the physiological quality of corn seeds, classified in sizes, in different periods of storage. Seeds of the hybrid BM915 PRO, classified in two sizes (CH20/64 and CH24/64), were treated with a mixture of carbendazim + thiram (Derosal Plus®), pirimiphos methyl (Actellic®), deltamethrin (K-obiol®), and water (standard treatment). In addition to the standard treatment adopted by the company, treatments with clothianidin (Poncho®), thiamethoxam (Cruizer®), and fipronil (Shelter®) were added to the spray mixture. The seeds were stored in a non-climate-controlled environment in multi-ply paper packages. The physiological quality of the seeds was evaluated every ninety days over a period of 270 days by the germination test, cold test, and accelerated aging. Sanitary quality was also evaluated through the Blotter test. The physiological quality of seeds of the hybrid BM915 PRO is maintained up to ninety days of storage, regardless of the chemical treatment used and the size of the seeds. The addition of the insecticide to the standard treatment used in chemical seed treatment does not affect the action of the fungicides on the fungi in the seeds.