Abstract

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is an herbaceous plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Seed vigor testing is an important component of quality control programs, and electrical conductivity test is a possible option in this process. The objective of this study was to identify a methodology of electrical conductivity test to stratify chia seed lots at vigor level according to the emergence of seedlings. Six lots of chia seeds were used in this study. The seeds were exposed to the following determinations: first germination count, germination, emergence speed index, emergence, aerial and root length, aerial and root dry matter, and electrical conductivity at 25, 50 and 75 mL during 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hours of soaking in water. The electrical conductivity test in the combination of 25 seeds using 50 mL of water in 6-hour of soaking period, as well as the combination of 50 seeds using 50 mL of water for 24 hours of soaking, were efficient in the stratification of chia seeds in different levels of vigor.

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