Seleção de híbridos para qualidade de sementes em cinco ambientes do Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, and it has increasingly been present in the sugar-energy sector, being an option during the sugarcane off-season and used in animal feed. To ensure high productivity in the fields, physiological analyses are essential to verify whether the seeds are meeting the established standards by assessing their vigor and viability. In this way, the environment emerges as a determining factor for the seed to express its full physiological potential, since hybrids may behave differently when subjected to specific edaphoclimatic conditions, especially in Mato Grosso do Sul, which presents diverse cultivation conditions in different cities. Therefore, this study aims to select, based on the physiological attributes of maize hybrid seeds produced in the 2024 growing season, in five edaphoclimatic environments. For this purpose, 10 maize hybrids and five edaphoclimatic environments were used. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD), with four replications. The hybrids were evaluated through germination (GER), in percentage; germination in the cold test (TF), in percentage; emergence (EMER), in percentage; emergence speed index (IVE); root length (CR), in centimeters; shoot length (CPA), in centimeters; seedling length (CP), in centimeters; and fresh and dry matter of the root and shoot (MFR, MFPA, MSR, and MSPA), in grams. The data were subjected to individual and joint analysis of variance. Means were grouped by the Scott-Knott test. The results showed that for the variables germination (GER), germination in the cold test (TF), root fresh matter (MFR), shoot fresh matter (MFPA), root dry matter (MSR), and shoot dry matter (MSPA), the hybrids showed different behaviors in the five analyzed environments. The hybrid that stood out the most overall was H7, presenting greater vigor. Meanwhile, H3 was the hybrid that behaved most consistently across environments. Finally, the environment most favorable for the initial establishment of the crop was Laguna Carapã, while the most unfavorable was Ponta Porã.