Protocolo de análisis de viabilidad de semillas de chía mediante test de tetrazolio

Salvia hispanica L. is an annual herbaceous plant, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, it stands out as the natural resource of plant origin with the highest content of fatty acids known so far. To obtain success in the production of seeds it is necessary to use lots of high quality, which can be evaluated, through the vigor of the same, at present, one of the main requirements for the evaluation of vigor refers to the obtaining of reliable results in a relatively short period of time. The tetrazolium test stands out for being fast and reliable. However, the methodology for the genus Salvia is not referenced within the standards of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), considering these facts, it becomes important to carry out the experiment for the development of a protocol that allows this analysis. The research was carried out in the Seed Laboratory of the Federal University of Pelotas, six batches of black chia seeds were used and four concentrations of tetrazolium salt (0.075%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1%) were tested to evaluate the seed viability. The experimental delineation was in randomized blocks, submitted to the analysis of variance through the F test and subsequently the means compared to each other by the Tukey test, at 5% probability, for comparison of the means. The tetrazolium test conducted in the concentration of 0.075% is efficient to evaluate the viability of the seeds of S. hispanica L., as well as to differentiate lots with different physiological quality. La chía (Salvia hispanica L.) es una planta herbácea anual, perteneciente a la familia Lamiaceae, se destaca por ser el recurso natural de origen vegetal con mayor contenido de ácidos grasos conocidos hasta ahora. Para obtener éxito en la producción de semillas es necesario utilizar lotes de alta calidad, la cual puede ser evaluada, a través del vigor de estas, en la actualidad una de las principales exigencias para la evaluación del vigor se refiere a la obtención de resultados confiables en un período de tiempo relativamente corto. La prueba de tetrazolio se destaca por ser rápida y confiable. Sin embargo, la metodología para el género Salvia no es referenciada dentro de las normas de la International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), considerando estos hechos, se vuelve importante a la realización del experimento para el desarrollo de un protocolo que permita realizar este análisis. La investigación se realizó en el laboratorio de semillas de la Universidad Federal de Pelotas,