Post-harvest storage of fruits: An alternative to improve physiological quality in habanero pepper seeds

A heterogeneous germination is one of the main problems in habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) cultivation, this could be due to poor quality seeds, physiologically immature at the time of being extracted from the fruit. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of post-harvest storage of fruits on the germination of seeds obtained at different ripening stages of fruits. Thus, unripe (green color = UR), half ripe (half green and half orange = HR) and ripe (orange color = R) fruits were harvested and stored during 7 and 14 days before extracting the seeds, control fruits were not stored. The parameters evaluated were: germination (%G) and germination rate (GR), emergence (%E) and emergence rate (ER), electrical conductivity (EC), root length (RL) and relative growth rate of root length (RGR RL). The post-harvest storage of fruits during 14 days increased seeds germination (R14 = 98 %, HR14 = 94 % and UR14 = 91 %), seedlings emergence (R14 = 98%, HR14 = 88% and UR14 = 94%) and germination rate (R14 = 19.22, HR14 = 20.08 and UR14 = 17.59 germinated/day). The highest emergence rate was both in R14 and in UR14 (13.93 and 12.67 seedlings/day, respectively). At 7 days after sowing, roots of R14 (3.8 cm) were the longest. The storage of fruits during 14 days decreased the EC of the solution where seeds were soaked (UR14 = 0.6, HR14 = 0.6 and R14 = 0.6 mu S mL(-1)). Therefore, harvesting both unripe and half-ripe fruits with an after storage during 14 days improved the physiological attributes of habanero pepper seeds.