Treatment of rice seeds with thiamethoxam: reflections on physiological performance

Thiamethoxam is a systemic insecticide that is transported within the plant through its cells and can activate various physiological reactions such as protein expression. These proteins interact with defense mechanisms against stress in adverse growing conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of thiamethoxam in rice seeds and the potential benefits that it can provide. Two experiments were carried out and, in both, seeds were treated with commercial product containing 350 g of thiamethoxam active ingredient per liter of product, at doses 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mL.100 kg-1 of seeds: 1) it was conducted with three lots of IRGA BR 424 cultivar rice seeds, which were submitted to the following laboratory tests: germination, cold test, accelerated aging test, as well as field assessment: total seedling length, root system length, number of panicles and productivity; 2) four lots of IRGA BR 424 cultivar rice seeds, two high and two low-vigor, were subjected to the following tests: germination, cold test and greenhouse seedling emergence test. Thiamethoxam rice seed treatment positively favors the seed quality.