Electrical conductivity test for proso millet seeds (Panicum miliaceum L.)

Abstract

Among the various quality control tests of seeds, the electrical conductivity test has great potential to determine seed quality quickly and reliably. Because of paucity of information in the literature regarding the methodology of the electrical conductivity test for proso millet seeds, this study aimed to evaluate the electrical conductivity test, with periods of imbibition, water volumes and number of seeds, seeking to establish the methodology more suitable for stratification of the lots. The work involves three experiments: characterization of the lots; determining the number of seeds x volumes of water to be used (25, 50, 75 and 100 seeds and 25, 50, 75, and 100 mL of water); and conditioning period (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 hours). The characterization of lots defined the Lot 1 and Lot 4 as the strongest among the lots evaluated. The electrical conductivity test was efficient to evaluate the physiological potential of lots of proso millet seeds. The stratification of the seed lots was possible using 25 seeds, imbibed in 50 mL of deionized water for a period of 14 hours.