EFEITO DA SECAGEM NA QUALIDADE FISIOLÓGICA DE SEMENTES DE MILHO DEBULHADO E NÃO DEBULHADO

Corn (Zea mays) is one of the main crops in Brazilian agriculture, with great representation in the economy. Processing is a set of operations that aim to improve the physical characteristics of a batch of seeds. It involves the stages of threshing, drying, cleaning, classification, treatment and packaging. The companies' quality control acts significantly so that high quality seeds are sold, justifying quality analyzes during all stages of seed production. The experiment was carried out in a Seed Processing Unit in the municipality of Patos de Minas (MG). The study was carried out with two hybrids, samples of threshed and non-threshed material were collected on the selection table, being deposited in bags for drying, which was carried out for seven days. Given the results obtained, it can be concluded that for the hybrids tested, drying the seeds on the cob is more recommended as it does not affect the germination and cold vigor of the seeds.