Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of Panicum maximum seeds harvested using two methods: direct harvesting and bag harvesting. The experimental design is a Fischer block comprising three blocks, each containing all ecotypes arranged randomly. The seeds were harvested, threshed, dried and winnowed. Quality attributes such as Thousand Seed Weight (TSW), Purity percentage (P), Germination Percentage (GP) and Pure Germinated Seed Yield (PGSY) were evaluated. The Cultural Value (CV), Sowing Rate (SR) for each ecotype and the Area Corresponding (AC) to the yields of the different ecotypes were determined. Purity was influenced by the harvesting method (p < 0.05). A very significant (p < 0.01) and highly significant (p < 0.001) difference was obtained for TSW and TGSY. The CV of the seeds was highly influenced (p < 0.001) by the harvesting method. Sowing 1ha of land requires approximately 15 kg and 5 kg of seeds of each ecotype for direct harvesting and bag harvesting, respectively. The areas to be covered with such yields (direct harvesting vs. bagging) are 10 ha vs 53 ha; 13 ha vs 82 ha and 27 ha vs 94 ha for ecotypes E1, E2 and E3 respectively. Bag harvesting is the best method for obtaining high quality seeds.

Key words: Panicum maximum, Harvesting method, Seed quality, Togo