Maturidade fisiológica de sementes de pitaya

Abstract

Pitaya is a fruit that has a high economic and nutritional potential, and these characteristics has picked the interest of the seed sector for high quality production, as the propagation of this culture occurs solely through seeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological, biochemical and health quality of pitaya seeds with diffrent stages of fruit maturation. The experimental design used was completely randomized with four replications, where fruits were collected at 25, 30, 35 and 40 days after anthesis, followed by pulp removal to acquire seeds. Seed quality was evaluated according to: germination, accelerated aging, seedling emergence, speed index and average germination time, seed health, and electrophoretic patterns of heat resistant proteins LEA. The results showed that pitaya seeds reach their full physiological maturity at 40 days after anthesis, the same period during which heat resistant proteins LEA are expressed higher. The presence of fungi in pitaya seeds from fruits of diffrent maturation stages is low