International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science (IJAERS) Peer-Reviewed Journal ISSN: 2349-6495(P) | 2456-1908(O) Vol-9, Issue-12; Dec, 2022 Journal Home Page Available: https://ijaers.com/ Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.912.51 www.ijaers.com Page | 466 Impact of ultraviolet C radiation and ozone application on the physiological quality of organic maize seeds Mayana Pereira Maia 1 , Carine Gregório Machado Silva 2 , Guilherme Rodrigues Martins 1 , Danielle de Oliveira Silva 1 , Ana Luiza Xavier Pereira 1 , Artur de Souza Mamedes 1 , Alexandre Martins Abdão dos Passos 3 1 Federal University of Rondonia, Brazil 2 CNPq - National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/Embrapa 3 Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, PO Box 151, Sete Lagoas, Brazil Received: 25 Nov 2022, Receive in revised form: 16 Dec 2022, Accepted: 22 Dec 2022, Available online: 31 Dec 2022 ©2022 The Author(s). Published by AI Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Keywords—Seed treatment, germination, physiological quality, Zea mays L. Abstract—Non-thermal energy sources have been utilized to control diseases and boost the physiological quality of maize seeds. The aim of this paper was to assess the impact of UV-c exposure and ozone application, associated or not, on organic maize seed germination and seedling vigor. Three cultivars (BRS Caimbé, BRS 1060 and BR 451), three exposure levels to ozone (15, 30 and 60 minutes) in the absence and presence of ultraviolet radiation (UV-c), were used in a completely randomized design with a factorial scheme of 3 x 3 x 2 + 3 (additional treatments) experiment. Evaluations of electrical conductivity, emergence in soil, and germination (at 4 th and 7 th day) on paper roll were done. Daily measurements of the emerged seedlings were taken up to the 14th day after emergence. The measurements included total emergence (EC), coefficient of variation in emergence time (CVt) in percentage, coefficient of emergence velocity (CVe) in percentage, emergence rate index (ERI) in days, and emergence synchronization index (Z). The tested genotypes caused differences in all studied variables. Increasing the percentage with a 30-minute exposure to ozone in the presence of UV-C radiation resulted in a validated enhance in the first germination reading. The association of O3 and UV-c techniques can be used to treat organic maize seeds without significantly affecting their physiological quality. I. INTRODUCTION Maize is one of the most economic and significant agricultural commodities in the world due to its importance in providing the food security of humans and animals and in the industrial sector. In Brazil, the 2021/2022 corn harvest is expected to produce 117.2 million tons of grains, a 34.6% increase over the previous growing season, with the predicted grain harvest for the 2022/2023 at 125.87 million tons (CONAB, 2022). Seed treatment methods are used to enhance the performance of seeds to produce high-quality crops. These methods can be classified into three main categories: biological, chemical, and physical. Utilizing beneficial microorganisms, biological seed treatments enhance seed health and performance. Chemical treatments employ synthetic inputs such as fungicides and insecticides, whereas physical seed treatments involve physical processes such as heating to improve seed performance (Rifna et al., 2019). Seed treatment methods can help to enhance the expression of the physiological quality of seeds, providing a high level of field performance while minimizing their environmental impact (krzyzanowski et al., 2020).