Can dosing mechanisms affect the physical quality of corn seeds at different seeding speeds?

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the main commodities of Brazilian agribusiness, however, the sowing operation of this crop still presents challenges related to the performance of the metering mechanisms and operational speed, since these can affect the physical quality of the seeds and impair germination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of maize seeds as a function of different metering mechanisms and operational speeds in a controlled sowing trial. The experiment was carried out at the State University, UNESP/Botucatu-SP, using five commercial models of seed dosers at four operational sowing speeds. The results showed that the metering model and the operational speed directly affected the physical quality of the corn seeds, reducing on average 3.17% their germination power. The sowing speed did not directly affect the water content of the corn seeds; however, it proportionally increased the number of damages. Regardless of the metering mechanism, operating speeds between 4 and 6km h-1, provided less damage to the seeds.