Accelerated aging and controlled deterioration seeds vigour tests for sunflower

The vigour tests were developed to detect differences of seeds lots owing to limitations the germination test. This study was conducted to compare different procedures of the accelerated aging and controlled deterioration tests to evaluate sunflowers seed vigour. Five lots of sunflower achenes (seeds with pericarp) cv. Catissol 01 were submitted to the water content test and to the evaluation of physiological quality using by germination and vigour test (first count, cold test, electrical conductivity, seedling emergence and speed of emergence index, (accelerated aging with tradicional system and satured solution of NaCl, at 42 degrees C for 48, 72, 96 hours and controlled deterioration with 15, 20, 25% water content for 48, 72, 96 hours at 42 degrees C). The results showed that the accelerated aging test with use of satured solution of NaCl for 96 hours was efficient to classify the sunflowers achenes lots. The combinations of 20% water in the achenes for 72 hours and the combination of 25% water in the achenes for 48 and 72 hours was efficient to classify the sunflowers achenes lots.