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The application of plant growth regulators can manipulate the development of cultivated plants, and their physiological effects may be reflected in the physiological quality of the seeds. This study evaluated the effects of plant growth regulators (PGR) on the physiological quality of crambe seeds produced in the 2014 and 2015 harvests. During crop development, we applied two foliar sprayings of the following treatments: 1) control treatment with distilled water; 2) indole-3-acetic acid 100 mg L-1 (IAA); 3) 3-gibberellic acid P.A. 100 mg L-1 (GA3); 4) commercial PGR Stimulate® 6 mL L-1. The seeds were harvested and evaluated for water content, germination percentage and germination speed index (GSI), electrical conductivity and concentrations of leached Ca, Mg and K ions. Means were compared by Tukey´s and Dunnett tests (p<0.05). Applying Stimulate® increased the germination percentage and the germination speed index, while IAA application showed an opposite effect, increasing the electrical conductivity of crambe seeds. Calcium leaching decreased with IAA application, and all regulators reduced K leaching. We therefore infer that the application of plant growth regulators influences the physiological quality of crambe seeds.

The inappropriate use of herbicides has increased the resistance of weeds; thus, the study of allelopathy becomes of paramount importance. The ability of certain plants to interfere with the metabolism of others by means of substances released into the environment, either by their aerial or roots system, becomes an alternative to combat invasive plants, dispensing with or reducing the use of herbicides. The objective of this work was to evaluate the plant species most sensitive to the allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts. One of the plant species studied was lettuce because it had a rapid response potential, thus showing the benefits obtained through allelopathy.