The pearl millet is an annual grass with small seeds, presenting size diversity, and having some times troubles to establish the adequate stand. The mean of this experiment was to verify in pearl millet seeds, the influence of the seed size on its germination and vigor. Four seed lots were used (I, II, III and IV) and were classified in four sizes, through sieves of square mesh: size 1: ≥2.00mm, size 2: 1.68 to 2.00mm, size 3: 1.41 to 1.68, size 4: 0.71 to 1.41mm and a part of the original lot (control), they constituted the sizes. The following tests were employed: weight of 1000 seeds, germination before and after six months of storage (TGI and TGII) and vigor (first germination counting test and electrical conductivity test). The statistical model was entirely randomized, with four replications for all the treatments. The seeds size 4 presented smaller weights of 1000 seeds for every lots and the smallest values for germination in TGI, in every lots, and in TGII for the lots II and IV. For the vigor (first germination counting) smaller value was observed for size 4, in the lots I, II and IV; while for the electrical conductivity, the size 4 presented the highest value for all lots, indicating low physiological quality. It was concluded that the germination and the vigor of pearl millet seeds were affected by its size; large seeds have better quality, than small seeds.
pearl millet; seed; seed size; Pennisetum americanum
