The quality of a seed batch is not a directly measurable quantity. It is necessary to carry out several tests, whose results together allow a conclusion as to quality. Thus, when attempting to arrive at a conclusion, tests may be carried out which are redundant and highly correlated, without adding to the ability to discriminate between batches, and leading to both wasted time and resources. The aim of this research is to identify a non-correlated set of tests to assess the quality of rice seed batches. Therefore 67 batches of rice seeds of different origins were submitted to nine different tests to assess physiological quality, including morphological variables, and those of vigor and germination. The correlation matrix among the nine variables was estimated and factor analysis applied, opting for the number of factors whose cumulative variance was greater than 70%. It was observed that using three factors was sufficient to reach 80.4% of the total variance, and concluded that the green mass of the plantlets, the percentage of germination and length of the shoots, all measured at 14 days after sowing, or simply the index of germination and emergence in the soil, are sufficient for identifying the quality of rice seed batches.
Oryza sativa; Germination; Variable reduction; Seeding
