NAVARRO, Marlen    LEZCANO, J.C. Effect of the drying method on the longevity and quality of seeds from Bauhinia purpurea.: I. Storage under ambient conditions. []. , 30, 4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 0864-0394.

A trial was carried out with the objective of determining the combined influence of different drying methods, the storage under ambient conditions and the physiological age of the seeds from B. purpurea, on their germination capacity and quality. The treatments for drying were: A) in the pods, B) artificial and C) under sunlight. The percentage of viability and germination, as well as the moisture content (MC), were determined, with a monthly frequency during a year of storage; in addition the temperature and relative humidity (maximum and minimum) were recorded during the evaluated period. In the information processing multivariate analyses (GLM and Factorial) were used. In treatments A and C similarities were observed regarding viability and germination, although the seeds reached physiological death at seven and nine months of permanence in the storehouse, respectively. The drying of the seeds with silica gel showed that the loss of germination capacity followed a cubic polynomial model, with a remarkable trend to linearity, and at the end of the study it was 70%. The differences between the MC of the seeds dried artificially (B) and under sunlight (C) allowed to confirm that longevity in B was two to four times higher than in C. The most influencing factors on the rate of quality loss of B. purpurea seeds stored under ambient conditions were moisture content and age of the seeds.

: Bauhinia purpurea; quality; seed storage.

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