QUALIDADE FISIOLÓGICA DE SEMENTES DE MARACUJÁ AMARELO SOB REPOUSO DE FRUTOS

Abstract

The passion fruit tree is one of the main fruiting plants cultivated in the country, with seed propagation being the viable method for producing seedlings. In this process of obtaining high-quality seeds, the storage period of the fruits must be considered. Studies on the effect of fruit resting on seed quality have demonstrated a direct relationship between this resting and the increase in germination and vigor of the evaluated seeds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological potential of yellow passion fruit seeds in response to different post-harvest resting periods of the fruits. A completely randomized design was used, with five post-harvest resting periods of the fruits (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 days), with four repetitions. Subsequently, the seeds were extracted, placed in fermentation for five days, and set to dry at room temperature. For the evaluation of the physiological quality of the seeds, the analyses used were: seed purity, mass of one thousand seeds, moisture content of the seeds, seedling emergence, rate of emergence, mean time of emergence, number of leaves per seedling, and height of the aerial part. It is recommended to extract seeds from yellow passion fruits after a post-harvest resting period of 10 days. Seeds extracted from fruits with a resting period longer than 10 days reduce quality. This results in decreased seedling emergence, seed vigor, and consequently, the quality of seedlings.