Physiological and sanitary quality of cockscomb seeds stored for different periods

The objective was to evaluate the physiological and sanitary quality of cockscomb seeds stored for different periods. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, with a 2x5 factorial scheme (two species of cockscomb: Celosia argentea L. and Celosia cristata L., and five seed lots with different storage periods: 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 years, from the date of harvest) with four replicates. After harvesting each batch of seeds, in their respective years, they were stored with an average moisture content of 11% and average germination of 98% in cold chamber in packages of Kraft paper (15 degrees C and 40% RH). It was observed that the average vigor (first count of germination) of the seeds of the two species of cockscomb was 88%, and the average germination of normal seedlings was 89 and 96% for the C. argentea and C. cristata species, respectively, with mean germination of 2.9 days for all storage periods. The relative frequency demonstrated homogeneity in the germination of the two species of cockscomb maintaining germinative viability in all periods of storage. It is concluded that the physiological potential and sanitary quality of the seeds of the C. argentea and C. cristata were preserved for periods ranging from zero to sixteen years of storage.