Efeito do hidropriming na germinação e no desenvolvimento inicial de plântulas de milho (zea mays l.) sob diferentes disponibilidades hídricas

Abstract

The initial establishment of maize crops is strongly influenced by soil water availability, especially in second-crop maize production systems (safrinha), where water deficit periods frequently occur during germination and seedling emergence. In this context, hydropriming has been considered a promising strategy to improve seed physiological performance under adverse environmental conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hydropriming on the germination and initial development of maize seedlings subjected to different levels of water availability. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications. Treatments consisted of the combination of seeds submitted or not to hydropriming and three soil field capacity levels (100%, 50%, and 25%). The evaluated variables were germination percentage, emergence speed index (ESI), shoot length, root length, and total dry mass of seedlings. The results showed that hydropriming did not significantly affect final germination percentage; however, it increased emergence speed and improved seedling initial development. In addition, water restriction reduced the initial growth of maize plants, whereas hydropriming partially mitigated these negative effects. It was concluded that hydropriming has the potential to enhance seed vigor and the initial establishment of maize under water deficit conditions, particularly in second-crop maize production systems.