Seed coating is a process in which a thin and uniform
polymer layer is deposited on the surface of a seed. The objective of this study was
to evaluate the vigor of barley seed coated with a commercial polymer and various
combinations of calcium, silicon and fungicide. In addition to a control with only
the polymer coating, a total of 17 seed coating treatments were used in a completely
randomized factorial design (18 treatments × 4 replicates per treatment). Calcium and
silicon were applied at concentrations of 0, 25 or 50 g kg-1 of seed, and 0 or 3.0 mL
of fungicide was applied. The means were compared using a Duncan test (P≤0.05).
The results showed that a coating of polymer, fungicide, calcium and silicon did not
affect the physiological quality of the barley seed and that the use of these products
can protect the seed against pathogens without affecting the rate of emergence of
the barley seedlings while ensuring good seed appearance, adhesion, distribution and
coloration.