Potencial fisiológico de sementes de fava crioula submetidas a agentes aderentes alternativos e pó da casca de sururu

Abstract

The lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) belongs to the legume family. Its seeds are edible and widely cultivated as food worldwide. In Brazil, small-scale farmers in the Northeast region primarily cultivate them. To add value to these seeds, studies have explored techniques to utilize waste and improve the quality of materials used in plant production. Seed pelleting is one such technology that offers the most promising results for improving seed physiological aspects and reducing production costs. This study evaluated the effect of binding agents on the pelleting of creole lima bean seeds using sururu shell powder, analyzing the impact of these treatments on the physiological potential of the seeds. The experimental design was a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications of 25 seeds per replication and six treatments. The binding agents used were water (control), polyvinyl acetate-based glue, aloe vera extract, mandacaru extract, palm extract, and cassava gum extract. After applying the binding agent, the seeds were pelleted with sururu shell powder. The variables analyzed were: thousand seed weight (TSW), moisture content (MC), first germination count (FGC), germination (GER), germination velocity index (GVI), mean germination time (MGT), germination uncertainty (I), mean germination rate (MGR), seedling length (SL), and seedling dry mass (SDM). The TSW increased only in seeds treated with agents other than water. For MC, there was no statistical difference between pelleted seeds. The variables FGC, GER, and GVI also showed no statistical difference between coated seeds. The MGT and I decreased in seeds pelleted with cassava gum, while the MGR was delayed in seeds coated with aloe vera. Seeds treated with cassava gum as a binding agent showed higher values for SL and SDM. Analysis of these variables revealed that pelleting creole lima bean seeds increases thousand seed weight, mean germination rate, seedling length, and seedling dry mass, and decreases mean germination time and germination uncertainty. Therefore, cassava gum is the most efficient binding agent for pelleting creole lima bean seeds with sururu shell powder and can be used by small-scale farmers in Alagoas due to the easy accessibility of materials and its good performance as a binding agent.