Abstract

The sesame fruits present differences on maturity due to their position on the plant stem. Thus, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the physiological quality of sesame seeds from three fruits locations on the plant stem (lower, middle and upper thirds) due to fertilizing with cattle manure (0, 20, 40 and 60 t.ha-1). We evaluated the germination percentage, first germination count, germination speed index, average germination time, accelerated-aged seeds germination and electrical conductivity of seeds. In addition, to evaluate seedling establishment we observed emergence percentage, emergence speed index, and average emergence time, as well as length and dry mass of seedlings. The experimental arrange used was entirely randomized in a factorial scheme (3×4) with four repetitions, and means were compared through the Tukey test at 5% probability. The fruits position on the plant stem influenced the sesame seeds quality. The yellowish green fruits from middle third of stem, as well as yellowish ones from lower third of stem showed best results for most variables evaluated. Seed vigor was positively influenced by cattle manure application in the soil; however, fertilizing did not have any effect on seeds germination.

Key words: Sesamum indicum L., germination, organic agriculture, seed maturation, seeds vigor.