Physiological quality of seeds from traditional and new recommended groups of Arabic coffee cultivars to highland regions

Abstract

The quality of a seed lot is an essential factor in the planning and implementation of any agricultural production program. Quality seeds provide strong and uniform plant growth. This study aims to analyze the physiological quality of seeds from different groups of Arabica coffee cultivars recommended for planting in the Brazilian highland regions. The seeds were picked from an Arabica coffee seed production field, accredited by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply, located in the municipality of Marechal Floriano, state of Espírito Santo (ES), Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications of 50 seeds each. The treatments were composed by traditional cultivars and new Arabica coffee recommendations from Catuaí (Catuaí IAC-62, Catuaí IAC-81), Caturra (Caturra IAC-479), Catucaí (Catucaí-785/15, Catucaí-2SL/CAK, Catucaí-24/137, Japi), Mundo Novo (Mundo Novo IAC-379/19), and Sarchimor (Acauã, Arara) groups. The seeds were manually harvested in sieves, at the point of physiological maturation, processed, and dried until reaching a humidity of 35% ± 1%. Immediately following this, the seeds were taken to the Seed Analysis Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo (CCAE-UFES), Alegre-ES, Brazil. The parameters analyzed were germination (%), germination speed index (GSI), length of shoot and root, and the fresh and dry mass weight of the seedlings. The rust-resistant cultivars of the Catucaí group, particularly Catucaí-785/15 and Catucaí-24/137, showed higher values of germination and seed vigor, which suggested a higher physiological quality of the seeds. These cultivars should have lower seedling disposal in the nursery, and a higher yield in the final seedling production. Cultivar Caturra IAC-479 showed the lowest performance.