Seed vigor in performance of wheat plants: evidence of interaction with nitrogen

Abstract: The use of high-quality seeds is an important factor in the crop production system. Its benefits to the performance of plants and possible interactions with other factors - such as nitrogen fertilization - could be better understood from a multivariate analysis perspective. With this approach, the objective of this work was to evaluate the impacts of wheat seed vigor and possible interactions with nitrogen fertilization on the performance of wheat plants. The data analyzed were obtained from the average results gathered through three experimental environments, located in the department of Alto Paraná, Paraguay. High-vigor seeds with provided a better plant stand and also a greater growth in the formed tillers stage. This category also provided plants with higher performance - a condition found for dry matter weight - in the booting, flowering and milk seed stages, in the presence and absence of nitrogen fertilization. The multivariate analysis showed that plants originating from high-vigor seeds that had not been fertilized with N showed a similar performance to that of low-vigor plants, but fertilized with N. High-vigor wheat seeds provide plants with superior performance.