SECTION B: LIFE SCIENCES
One of the agronomic management strategies to reduce plant lodging during the production of quality sweet forage sorghum seed is the use of growth retardants; however, its effect on the physiological performance of the seeds is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of sweet forage sorghum seeds obtained after the application of growth retardants in the vegetative state of the plant in two cultivation environments. The trials were established in two locations located in the agroecological zones: inter-Andean valleys and Colombian dry Caribbean during the first semester of 2022. The experimental design used was complete randomized blocks with three repetitions and six treatments consisting of the application of variable doses of ethephon, mepiquat chloride and trinexapac-ethyl in two stages of development of the plant (1 and 3) plus the control without application of retardants. The variables of germination percentage, viability by tetrazolium and vigor by accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and cold test were determined. The average values of germination and viability were 64% and 80% respectively, and the vigor by accelerated aging and the cold test obtained an approximate value of 62%. The results indicate that there are effects of the environment and its interaction with the retardants without affecting the physiological performance of the seeds. The existing variability in the physiological parameters of sorghum seeds is due to adverse environmental conditions towards physiological maturity and harvest.
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