PHYSIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF SWEET-CORN (ZEA- MAYS L) SEEDS AS AFFECTED BY METHODS OF HARVEST, THRESHING AND PROCESSING

Sweet-corn (Zea mays L.) seeds harvested manually and threshold manual ly or mechanically, as well as harvested and threshed mechanically wer e evaluated for percentage of damage and its effects on the physiologi cal quality of the seeds. Seeds threshed mechanically were passed thro ugh the quality table and divided into three portions, respectively sp outs 1, 2 and 3, corresponding to higher, medium and lower levels of d ensity. Significant differences in terms of seed weight were observed between treatments, being superior the seeds harvested manually or see ds delivered by the spout 1 of the gravity table, in both cases of man ual and mechanical harvests. Seed weight decreased along the different spouts of the quality table, in each different method of harvest. See ds coming from the combined harvests showed higher levels of mechanica l damage. Mechanical damage reduced significantly sweet-corn seed vigo r.