MATURAÇÃO DE FRUTOS E SUPERAÇÃO DE DORMÊNCIA EM SEMENTES DE Morinda citrifolia L. var. citrifolia

Abstract

There are few information about noni become a limiting factor for the development of culture in the country, requiring studies that enable their production, marketing and dissemination that has been performed empirically through seeds. Thus, two experiments were conducted, the first aimed to determine the maturation curve of the noni fruit on the physical and physicochemical parameters. The second aimed to determine the physiological maturation stage of the fruit for the withdrawal of noni seed and pregerminating treatments to overcome dormancy. The first experiment was conducted in the Fruitculture Laboratory, Department of Plant Science and Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba (DFCA / UFPB), using completely randomized design with the treatments, 5 fruit maturation stages (0, 15, 30 , 45, 60 days after complete anthesis - DAAC), with four replicates of six fruits each. We evaluated the evolution of the peel color: (parameters: L *, a * and b *); longitudinal and transverse diameter, fresh and dry fruit weight, firmness, peel yield, seeds and pulp, soluble solids, titratable acidity, SS / TA ratio and ascorbic acid at all stages of maturation. The second experiment was conducted in a greenhouse environment in the Plant Nursery of Fruitculture of DFCA / UFPB with completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement 3 x 6, three times collections of seeds [45 days after complete anthesis (period I), 60 days after complete anthesis (period II), 24 h after abscission of the fruit of the plant (period III)] and six pre-germination methods (1 intact seeds, 2 - intact + 24 hours of immersion in water; 3 - intact + 48 hours of immersion in water; 4 - lopping, 5 - lopping + 24 hours of immersion in water; 6 - lopping + 48 h immersion in water), with four replications of 25 seeds. The variables analyzed were percentage, speed index, average time and average speed of emergency, length and dry mass of seedlings. With 60 DAAC, fruits reached the maximum transverse diameter (9.23 cm), longitudinal diameter (6.43 cm), fresh fruit mass (165.01 g) and dry fruit mass (22.94 g). For the variables, percentage and seedling emergence speed index, it appears that the seeds which was held the lopping showed higher values for these variables when compared with the other pre-germination treatments for periods II and III. The fruits of noni at the 60 days after complete anthesis are found physiologically mature, soluble solids contents and SS / TA ratio have increased gradually with the evolution of the fruit maturation stage. The lopping is xiii recommended to overcome dormancy in noni seeds, period III (24 hours after the abscission of the fruit) is the most suitable for the collection of seeds, to favor the physiological quality.