THE EFFECT OF STORAGE PERIOD ON SEED VIGOR SORGHUM VARIETY OF SUPER-2 HARVESTED FROM PLANTS FERTILIZED WITH DIFFERENT ZnSO₄ DOSES

Abstract

Sorghum is an alternative food crop capable of growing on dry land. Initial seed vigor is influenced by the environmental conditions in which the mother plant grows and develops; therefore, seed vigor during storage is affected by its initial vigor. Zinc (Zn) in seeds can act as an antioxidant in the form of Cu/Zn-SOD, protecting seed cell membranes. This study aimed to determine the vigor of sorghum seeds harvested from plants treated with different ZnSO₄ doses during storage. The study was conducted at the Seed and Plant Breeding Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Lampung, from December 2024 to December 2025. A two-factor experiment (3 × 7) was arranged in a Split Plot in Time design with four replications in four blocks. The first factor, as the main plot, was ZnSO₄ fertilizer dose (0, 2, and 4 kg/ha), while the second factor, as the subplot, was seed storage period (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months). Homogeneity of variance among treatments was tested using Bartlett’s test at the 5% significance level, and non-additivity of the data model was tested using Tukey’s test at the same level. Treatment effects on each variable were analyzed using the simultaneous F-test (analysis of variance), followed by the HSD test at the 5% significance level. The results showed that seeds harvested from plants fertilized with 4 kg/ha ZnSO₄ maintained higher vigor than those from 2 kg/ha or 0 kg/ha after more than 6 months of storage, particularly in germination rate and total normal seedling percentage.