Physiological quality of cucurbits in spectral qualities

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of spectral qualities on the germination and vigor of cucurbit seeds. This experiment was a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 3 x 6, with three species of cucurbitaceae: cucumber, melon and watermelon. Six spectral qualities were used: blue LED, white LED, red LED, blue + red LED, fluorescent and dark (no light). Variables related to germination and vigor were analyzed. The cucurbitaceae presented differentiated responses when submitted to the different spectral qualities. For cucumber seeds, the luminous spectra increased root length, compared to the dark treatment. The melon seeds had low physiological quality; for these, the dark promoted a higher percentage of germinated and normal seeds. For watermelon seeds, the white LED conditions led to a higher percentage of normal seedlings, high rate of germination (IVG) and lower percentage of dead seeds. Red LED conditioned high IVG in watermelon. In general, fluorescent light favors carotenoid content and the dark condition favors shoot length in cucurbit seeds.