Physiological Potential of Bean Seeds under Different Storage Temperatures

Stored beans have active metabolism and respiration may cause significant quality losses. Therefore, some care is necessary during this period, aiming at maintaining the physiological quality of seeds, minimizing their deterioration and reducing their germinative power. Seed quality during storage may be influenced by environmental factors and the interaction of genotypes with the environment. The objective was to evaluate the germination and vigor of bean seeds after 90-days storage under different temperature conditions. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design, with four replications, in 3 × 2 factorial scheme, considering three storage temperatures (10 °C, 20 °C and 30 °C) and two storage times (0 and 90 days). For potential evaluation, the following characteristics were considered- moisture content, thousand seed mass, germination, electrical conductivity, accelerated aging and cold test. Numerical data were submitted variance analysis with averages compared by means test at 5% of significance. Results showed that storage temperature conditions directly affect physiological quality of bean seeds. Temperature of 10 °C provided better seed conservation whereas temperature of 30 °C promoted higher deterioration and reduced vigor.