Using Computerized Analysis of Seedlings to Evaluate the Physiological Potential During Production Process of Peanut Seeds.

Peanut seeds are considered difficult to produce because they present often unsatisfactory levels of germination and vigor due to factors related to harvest, transport, storage and processing that in addition to causing reduction in the physiological may favor the entry of pathogens. To assess the physiological seed, beyond the methods routinely used in computerized analysis of seedlings it is fast, accurate and without subjectivity can assist in monitoring the quality of peanut seeds along the production process. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the different process stages harvesting, drying and processing on the physiological, through computerized analysis of seedlings. Therefore, samples were taken in the field: after peanut digger/inverters operations, combine harvesting; transport from the field until arrival at the Processing Unit; storage: after two, four and six months; in processing: after mechanical threshing, separation of impurities, size classification, gravity table, selector electronics and chemical treatment of seeds. Then the seeds were subjected to the water content determination, and germination, vigor (first count, electrical conductivity, accelerated aging and computerized analysis of seedlings - SVIS®) and seedling emergence in the field evaluations. There was a similar performance in the germination test, for all sampling times, with values above the recommended seeding to. In the field the seeds Showed poor performance, despite the high vigor appointed by the first count, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and computerized analysis seedling evaluations. It was concluded that the computerized analysis seedling exhibits high efficiency in identifying differences between the process steps for the production of peanut seeds.