Rice seed treatment with silicon and seed quality

Abstract

The use of silicon is from environmental point of view a clean technology which can confer several benefits to plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses and sources of silicon as seed treatment, the physiological quality of treated seed produced from plants grown from seeds coated with silicon. The experimental design was a randomized block in factorial 3x5 (silicon sources: Kaolin, Ladle Furnace Slag and Ash Bark Rice, Si doses: 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 g per100 kg seeds) with four replications. The rice cultivar used was BRS Querência. The physiological quality of seeds was evaluated by the following tests: germination, first count, cold test, accelerated aging, shoot length and root length. Treatment of rice seeds with silicon does not adversely affect the physiological quality of treated seeds. Silicon application via seed treatment provides the production of rice seeds with greater vigor.