The white oat is an excellent winter cropchoice in crop succession systems. The decomposition of organic matter sustained on the soil surface in no tillage conditions associated with poor drainage or excessive moisture increase the formation of organic acids. Among these, acetic and butyric acids have great phytotoxic potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of acetic and butyric acids on germination and early seedling development of different oat cultivars. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design, where seeds of cultivars Afrodite, Albasul, Brisasul, FAEM 06, IAC 7, URS 21 and URS Taura, were subjected to four doses of acetic (0, 4, 8 and 12 mM ) and butyric ( 0, 3, 6 and 9 mM)acid. The seeds were kept in germination chamber for ten days. The characters evaluated wereshoot length (CPA), root length (CR), and the percentage of germination (% GER). The toxicity of butyric acid was higher than acetic acid, damaging root development more than shoot length. Cultivars IAC 7 and Brisasul were sensitive and cultivars URS Taura and Afrodite were tolerant tothe organic acids studied. In control and 12 mM acetic acid, there was a correlation between CR and % GER. There is great variation among cultivars in response to acetic and butyric acids.
phytotoxicity; Avena sativa; germination; root; shoot
