Determinação de alterações morfológicas durante a maturação de sementes de melão com uso de raios X

Abstract

The search for melon with high physiologic quality is essential to have competitive material compared to the imported. The analysis of images realized through X-ray is a technique that verify internal morphology and relates with the seed performance. In this way, the goal of this study was to evaluate the seed physiological quality from melon of Anton cultivar in function of different phase of maturation of stored and non-stored fruits through the visualization of internal morphology of seeds using X-ray images. The experiment was managed from December of 2016 to February of 2018. The yellow-melon fruits analyzed were cultivated in Embrapa Hortaliças greenhouse. The fruits were picked in five distinct periods: 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days after anthesis (DAA). In each period were picked a total of 30 fruits where 15 fruits had their seeds immediately extracted after been picked, and 15 fruits were stored. The 15 fruits stored were packed in plastic box properly identified for a period of fifteen days in airy place with room temperature. The 30 fruits were subjected to the same process of seed extraction, washing and drying. The dried seeds from stored and non-stored fruits were submitted to the following analyses: X-ray test and the germination test. The treatment of 60 DAA over storage shown better performance with 67% in the germination test on the first counting and 87% of normal seedlings. This result is similar to the noted in the X-ray test where the treatment demonstrated 96% of filled seeds showing the viability of this tool to determine physiologic quality in the melon seeds.