Physiological Quality of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. Seeds as Affected by Storage Duration

Abstract

The legume Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. is a drought-tolerant, multifunctional crop whose productivity largely depends on maintaining seed physiological quality during storage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storage on the physiological quality of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. (pigeon pea) seeds cultivated in Araçuaí-MG, Brazil. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais - Araçuaí Campus, using a completely randomized design with four treatments (storage periods): T0 - 0 months of storage; T1 - 12 months of storage; T2 - 24 months of storage; and T3 - 36 months of storage, with four replications of 50 seeds each. The Analyse analysis performed included biometric evaluation, seed moisture content, germination, first germination count, germination speed index, shoot length, root length, and dry biomass of seedlings. The biometric data of the pigeon pea seeds from both treatments showed similar weight and size. The different storage periods did not statistically influence the germination speed index, hard seeds, normal and abnormal seedlings, and seedling dry biomass. The first count of germinated seeds and the number of dead seeds in treatment 3 (36 months) were significant. Therefore, storage in PET bottles proved to be efficient in maintaining seed quality. Seeds stored for 36 months showed higher germination speed and a lower number of dead seeds. The seeds exhibited similar biometric characteristics, with mean values of 5.50 ± 0.25 mm, 6.26 ± 0.51 mm, 4.57 ± 0.09 mm, 11.08 ± 0.924%, and 104.8 ± 9.24 g for width, length, thickness, seed moisture content, and thousand-seed weight, respectively.