Viabilidade de sementes crioulas de milho após o ataque de Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The attack of Sitophilus zeamais on maize seeds compromises their viability, drastically reducing germination potential, especially in creole seeds, where chemical treatments are not used to prevent such attacks. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the viability of three creole cultivars (Cabeça de Touro, Dente de Cavalo, and Milho Criolão) after weevil infestation. The experiment was conducted at the Campus do Sertão – UFS, using a completely randomized design in a 3x6 factorial scheme with four replications, totaling 18 treatments, consisting of six infestation periods (0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days). The evaluated variables were: weight loss (g), first germination count (%), final germination (%), germination speed index (GSI), fresh and dry seedling mass (mg/seedling). Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), with means compared by Tukey’s test for the qualitative factor and regression analysis for the quantitative factor. The Cabeça de Touro (CT) variety showed greater resistance to weevil attack, maintaining a high germination rate over the 35-day infestation period, with a final germination rate of 86.5%, GSI of 10.65, fresh mass of 905.0 mg/seedling, and dry mass of 277.25 mg/seedling. In contrast, the Milho Criolão variety showed lower results during this period, with a final germination rate of 19%, GSI of 3.73, fresh mass of 390.0 mg/seedling, and dry mass of 136.25 mg/seedling. The results demonstrate that after weevil infestation, continuous seed degradation occurs during storage, with varietal differences in response.