Qualidade fisiológica de sementes de jurubeba (Solanum paniculatum L.) em função do estádio de maturação do fruto

Abstract

Solanum paniculatum L., commonly known as jurubeba and belonging to the Solanaceae family, is native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. Its fruits have culinary, medicinal, and biological control applications against phytopathogens. Given all its benefits, studies on the propagation of the species are necessary. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the physiological quality of jurubeba seeds at distinct stages of fruit maturation. The fruits were harvested at three maturation stages (green, cana green, and red), which constituted the treatments. Subsequently, the seeds were extracted, washed in running water, and dried in the shade for 24 hours. Right after were then subjected to the following tests: germination, electrical conductivity, first count, emergence, and emergence speed index.The experimental design adopted was completely randomized, the data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and the means were compared using the Tukey test at 5% probability. Superiors germination and vigor results were observed in seeds from fruits harvested at the red maturation stage. It is concluded that seeds at this specific point of physiological maturity are wellformed and, therefore, recommended for the propagation of the species.