Maturação e armazenamento de frutos de pimenta (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) na qualidade das sementes

Abstract

The knowledge of the best fruit harvest stage can contribute to the supply of seeds with maximum yield and quality. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the quality of pepper seeds (Capsium chinense), extracted from fruits harvested at different stages of maturation and storage. For this, fruits were evaluated at two stages of maturation (orange and red) and submitted to storage for 0, 7, 14 days. The pepper strain CCA 37701 was used with weekly harvests. The stored fruits were kept at room temperature and, after extraction, the seeds were evaluated for their sanitary and physiological potential, by means of health tests, emergence percentage, emergence speed index, germination percentage, germination speed index. germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and X-rays. For seeds extracted from red fruits, a higher percentage of germination and vigor was observed, regardless of the storage of the fruits, indicating that the seeds had possibly already reached physiological maturity. For orange fruits, the permanence of the seeds inside the fruits at 7 and 14 days was ideal to promote higher quality, indicating that their development was completed during the storage of the fruits. Regardless of the maturation stage and storage period, there was no influence of the presence of fungi in the results obtained regarding physiological potential. The analysis of X-ray images allowed observing the physical condition of the seeds during the different storage periods and maturation stages. It is recommended to harvest red fruits or orange fruits, keeping the fruits at rest for seven or fourteen days.