Pre-packing cooling and types of packages in maintaining physiological quality of soybean seeds during storage

Abstract: Seeds storing under appropriate conditions reduces the speed of the seeds deterioration process. The aim of this study was to evaluate pre-packing cooling and types of packages in the maintenance of the physiological quality of soybean seeds during storage. The completely randomized experimental design was used, with four replications, considering a factorial arrangement involving or not the pre-packing cooling of the seed mass, three types of packages (multi-layer paper bag, big bag, and polyethylene container), and five storing periods (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 months). The physiological quality was evaluated by the tests of first germination count, germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, emergence speed index and emergence. The use of packages with larger amount of seeds (big bag and polyethylene container) did not favor the maintenance of the pre-packing cooling temperature. The types of packages did not show significant differences in the seeds viability during storage, up to eight months, regardless the pre-packing cooling. The cultivars seeds showed different tolerance to storing, i.e. seeds of the cultivar TMG 1176 had lower storing potential comparing to the seeds from the cultivar SYN 9074.