Physiological quality of seeds of Coffea canephora from early and late clones during maturation

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds from early and late maturing Coffea canephora clones, aiming to identify the ideal harvest time. The fruits were collected every two weeks from 188 days after anthesis (DAA) and characterized as green, cane green, cherry, raisin and dry. The seeds were evaluated for water content, germination percentage, normal and abnormal seedlings, nongerminated seeds and dead seeds, vigor index, hypocotyl lenght, and root length. Seed germination of the early maturing clone started at 202 DAA, while that of the late maturing clone started at 230 DAA, with both clones showing a water content of 63% and a dry mass of 37%. Although the optimum harvest point was identified at the cherry ripening stage, it was found that the late maturing clone showed a more pronounced variation in the maturation process, directly impacting the physiological quality of the seeds. Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the maturation stages and the physiological quality of the seeds. For the early maturing clone, the maximum physiological quality was recorded at 244 DAA, corresponding to 80% of fruits at the cherry stage, while for the late maturing clone this point was reached at 326 DAA, with 98% of the fruits ripe.