Southwestern Brazil Research Articles

Lightning predator: the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl snatches flower-visiting hummingbirds in southwestern Brazil

Abstract Pygmy owls of the genus Glaucidium prey on large insect and small vertebrates, mostly birds. Among the birds preyed on by pygmy owls are hummingbirds, caught mostly while mobbing these owlets or when still at nestling stage. I report here on the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) snatching flower-visiting hummingbirds in an orchard at a farm in southwestern Brazil. I recorded one White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi) and three Gilded Hummingbirds (Hylocharis chrysura) preyed on by this owlet on three consecutive days. The large concentration of flowers and, consequently, of hummingbirds in the orchard likely contributed to the hunting success of the owlet on such fleeting and quickly moving prey. The role this pygmy owl plays on predation of adult hummingbirds in the Neotropics merits closer consideration.

Non-volant mammals of the Maracaju Mountains, southwestern Brazil: Composition, richness and conservation

We report the results of the non-volant mammal survey at the Maracaju Mountains located in the central region of Mato Grosso do Sul State, southwestern Brazil. The sampling encompasses different vegetation types of the Cerrado domain that occur in the region. The mammal survey was conducted by the use of pitfalls (1804 bucket-nights), live traps (7508 trap-nights), direct observation and indirect evidence (624 hours of observations). Fifty-eight non-volant mammal species of 9 orders and 20 families were recorded, representing 12% of the Brazilian terrestrial mammal species. The non-volant mammal community of Maracaju Mountains is typical of the Cerrado, but some species found occur in other domains, especially from Pantanal, Atlantic and Amazonian Forests. Among the recorded species, 11 are threatened in Brazil or on a global scale. Therefore, the Maracaju Mountains have a high richness of mammals with endangered and rare species that are still present in the extensive natural areas which persist in the region. These areas are very important for conservation of mammals and should be considered relevant areas for the establishment of Conservation Units in Cerrado and in the Mato Grosso do Sul State.

Statistical Estimation of the Position of An Apex: Application To the Geological Record

Abstract Knowing the position of an apex of a distributive depositional system can provide important spatial constraints on paleogeographic reconstructions, and thus can greatly help facies predictions, at both a system and a basin scale. To date, predicting the position of an apex of a sedimentary system is often limited to generalized statements based on facies mapping and qualitative analyses of paleocurrent readings. This paper presents a user-friendly quantitative methodology based on the von Mises distribution and uses the method of maximum likelihood to obtain an estimated apex and associated confidence regions for a dataset. The methodology presented has been applied to two modern distributive fluvial systems (DFSs), the Taquari DFS, situated in southwestern Brazil, and the Gilbert DFS, situated in northwestern Queensland, Australia. The position of each apex is known for the two systems, thus allowing the accuracy of the methodology to be tested. A range of datasets, within which the amount and spatial distribution of localities were selected independently, was analyzed. The predicted apices came within encouraging proximity of the true apices, ranging in distance from 2.7 km to 40.3 km (1.6 to 23.4% of the total DFS length) away, with accuracy generally increasing with increasing dataset size and proximity to the apex. Data collected from the Late Jurassic Salt Wash DFS were also analyzed using the code. Results have helped to give better geographical constraints on the system and apex location as well as on the southern margin of the Morrison depositional basin. Although tested on modern and outcrop-based datasets from DFS, the methodology can be applied to any dataset, subsurface or surface, in which dispersion occurs from a point source, thus unlocking the potential for better paleogeographic constraint on a broad range of sedimentary environments such as deltas and submarine fans.

Fragmentation effects and genetic diversity of the key semidecidual forest species Metrodorea nigra in Southwestern Brazil.

Studies of genetic diversity in plant species present in the remaining fragments of the Atlantic Forest are very important for understanding their resilience to such a degraded ecosystem. We analyzed the genetic diversity of 3 populations of the high-density understory species Metrodorea nigra St. Hill. (Rutaceae) located in forest remnants in the region of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil (M13-Rib, BSQ-Rib, and FAC-Crav), by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers for conservation purposes. A total of 133 polymorphic loci were observed in 136 inter-simple sequence repeat loci (average of 17 per primer). The Nei genetic diversity (HE) was relatively high considering all populations (0.31). The BSQ-Rib population exhibited the highest value (0.27), followed by the M13-Rib (0.26) and FAC-Crav (0.24) populations. The simple sequence repeat markers analyzed showed a high number of alleles (K = 104), with an average of 14.85 alleles per locus. The average observed heterozygosity was 0.516 and the average expected heterozygosity was 0.771, ranging from 0.688 (FAC-Crav) to 0.765 (BSQ-Rib). The fixation indexes showed positive and significant differences from zero for all sample sets, indicating inbreeding, which may have resulted from the species' mating patterns and the barochoric seed dispersal system of M. nigra. Both markers indicated differentiation among populations, with higher values observed for inter-simple sequence repeat markers. No significant differences between juvenile and adult generations in any of the fragments were observed, indicating the resilience of M. nigra to the effects of fragmentation and reduced habitat.

Bat (Chiroptera) assemblages in three Cerrado fragments of Mato Grosso do Sul, southwestern Brazil

Despite its high species richness and large area, the Brazilian Cerrado is a generally undervalued and under-protected biome. There are relatively few published studies of bat assemblages in this area. We surveyed for bats using mist-nets from April–November 2013 within and around Campo Grande, Brazil in an urban fragment, an agricultural fragment, and a larger fragment of continuous forest. We captured 508 individuals from 21 species representing four families: Phyllostomidae (10), Molossidae (6), Vespertilionidae (4), and Noctilionidae (1). Phyllostomids accounted for 91.73% of captures. The most common species were Artibeus planirostris (27.76%), Artibeus lituratus (21.06%), and Sturnira lilium (11.61%). There was variation between the sites: richness and diversity was highest in the continuous forest and lowest in the urban fragment. Evenness was highest in the rural fragment. The least similar sites were the urban fragment and the continuous forest; similarity was greatest between the rural site and continuous forest.

Mammals of medium and large size from a fragmented seasonal forest landscape in Mato Grosso do Sul state, central-western Brazil

The southern cone of Mato Grosso do Sul state is poorly known in terms of mammal community composition. This information is very important to propose an environmental management plan. The present study provides information on the composition of medium and large size mammals in the municipality of Batayporã, in the Ivinhema river basin, southwestern Brazil. The mammal community was sampled during 19 field sampling occasions by the identification of vestiges, such as burrows, feces, vocalization and tracks, as well as through direct observations. I recorded 24 mammal species distributed in eight taxonomic orders. Thirteen species were frequently recorded, six species were rarely recorded, and six species are considered threatened in Brazil or in global level. The area presents almost half of the medium and large-sized mammal fauna from Mato Grosso do Sul state, but fragmentation and sugarcane plantations may represent a threat to the local biodiversity conservation.

Predictive factors of species composition of follower fishes in nuclear-follower feeding associations: a snapshot study

We tested whether habitat, identity, size of nuclear fishes, and intensity of bottom disturbance caused by their foraging can predict the composition of fish followers in nuclear-follower feeding associations. The study was carried out in a stream of the Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Southwestern Brazil. We performed underwater observational sessions (total 12 h) of such interspecific interactions to obtain data about the identity and abundance of the followers in the association, as well as the identity and size of the nuclear fish. We also evaluated whether different intensities of bottom disturbance due to the nuclear fish foraging and type of habitat may influence interactions. We recorded 38 episodes involving nuclear and follower species. Using a multivariate analysis with distance matrices, we noted that the intensity of bottom disturbance caused by nuclear fishes was the main predictor of the composition of the follower species (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), as well as the identity of the nuclear species, although this latter relation was weak (r = 0.09, p = 0.05). Such results indicate that followers react readily to sediment suspension, which reflects the trophic plasticity and opportunistic foraging characteristic of most tropical freshwater fishes.

The social wasp community (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in an area of Atlantic Forest, Ubatuba, Brazil

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is of great relevance to biological conservation, and is among the areas in South America with the highest levels of diversity and endemism. The aim of this study was to survey the social wasp species in the subfamily Polistinae in Ubatuba, São Paulo state, in southwestern Brazil. Collecting work was conducted from May 2007 to May 2008 using attractive PET bottle traps and active searching. Twenty-one species belonging to eight genera were found, among which some may be considered rare in southeastern Brazil such as Mischocyttarus parallelogrammus and Polybia catillifex. The most abundant species were Agelaia angulata (64.31%), Agelaia nr. centralis (10.08%) and Angiopolybia pallens (8.49%). A correlation between species richness and relative humidity (r = 0.6435; p = 0.0176) was observed. Values of species richness were a little higher in the super humid (Sm = 11) than in the less humid (Sm = 9) season. This suggests that this season may have more favorable environmental conditions for a greater richness of species to found colonies. Despite not having a very high species richness compared with other surveys, the collected species in this study can be considered rare in southeastern Brazil, emphasizing the complexity of the Atlantic Forest biome and its relation to the diversity of wasps.

Patterns of Alcohol Use among Patients Who Visited Community Emergency Care Services in Southwestern Brazil

Alcohol is among the most frequently consumed drugs worldwide. However, identification and intervention measures for alcohol abuse have not yet been established. This article reports the results of applying the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in 463 patients from five centers for emergency care community in a large city in the interior of Sao Paulo. The relationship between the AUDIT risk-levels of alcohol use and the socio-demographic variables of individuals seeking treatment between August and November 2010 was also examined. The instrument was administered by seven nurses and six students nurses. Individuals with AUDIT scores ≥07 received brief counseling (BC). The main reasons for seeking emergency care were “headache”, “pain”, and “ill-being”. Among the individuals in the study, 95.9% lived in the municipality where the data was collected, 40.7% had an incomplete elementary school education, and the percentage of alcohol dependence was lower among employed individuals (11.9%). The sample was composed of 61.1%

A STUDY IN AN AREA OF TRANSITION BETWEEN SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST AND MESOTROPHIC CERRADÃO, IN MATO GROSSO DO SUL, SOUTHWESTERN BRAZIL

This study describes the tree vegetation and soils occurring in a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) and mesotrophic cerradão transition in southwestern Brazil. All trees ≥ 5 cm diameter were measured in 20 plots of 20 × 25 m, 10 in SDTF, and 10 in mesotrophic cerradão. Ten soil samples of 0−20 cm depth were made per plot and mixed in plot groups to produce two composite samples. A total of 71 species was recorded. Anadenanthera colubrina had the highest importance values in both formations. Differences in soil fertility were found between SDTFs (eutrophic soils) and mesotrophic cerradão (mesotrophic soils). A non-metric multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis confirmed the soil fertility segregation, and also showed an agreement between soil fertility and variance in species composition gradients. The mesotrophic cerradão showed higher species richness since it also includes many species typical of more dystrophic and open forms of Cerrado.

Adaptation to freshwater in the palaemonid shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum: comparative ontogeny of osmoregulatory organs

The ontogeny of osmoregulatory organs was studied in two geographically isolated populations of the palaemonid shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum, one originating from the Amazon estuary (A) and the other from inland waters of the Pantanal (P) in northeastern and southwestern Brazil, respectively. A previous investigation had shown that the estuarine population is able to hypo-osmoregulate in seawater, whereas the hololimnetic inland population has lost this physiological function. In the present study, the structural development of the branchial chamber and excretory glands and the presence of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA) were compared between populations and between larval and juvenile stages after exposure to two salinities representing hypo- and hypertonic environments. In the newly hatched zoea I stage of both populations, gills were absent and NKA was localized along the inner epithelium of the branchiostegite. In intermediate (zoea V) and late larval stages (decapodids), significant differences between the two populations were observed in gill development and NKA expression. In juveniles, NKA was detected in the gills and branchiostegite, with no differences between populations. At all developmental stages and in both populations, NKA was present in the antennal glands upon hatching. The strong hypo-osmoregulatory capacity of the early developmental stages in population A could be linked to ion transport along the inner side of the branchiostegite; this seemed to be absent or weak in population P. The presence of fully functional gills expressing NKA appears to be essential for efficient hyper-osmoregulation in late developmental stages during successful freshwater adaptation and colonization.

New records of the Spectacled Slender Opossum Marmosops ocellatus (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) with comments on its geographic distribution limits

Abstractis a small didelphid marsupial that inhabits central and western South America, including Bolivia and western Brazil. In this report, we provide new distributional records based on 14 specimens deposited in mammal collections. Records from Vale de São Domingos and Cáceres, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, extend approximately 200 km northeastward of the currently known range of the species. Considering our records and those from the literature, we believe that

Epidemiology of Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae) in sheep in Botucatu, State of São Paulo

The seasonal factors that influence Oestrus ovis infestation in sheep were determined in Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Southwestern Brazil, from April 2008 to March 2011. Two tracer lambs were monthly exposed to natural infestation by O. ovis larvae for 28 consecutive days, by grazing with a sheep flock. Tracer animals were then euthanized and the larvae of O. ovis recovered from nasal and sinus cavities. Of the 72 tracer lambs, 50% were infested with O. ovis larvae and the mean intensity of infestation per head infested was 16.8 larvae, with an average of 7.8 L1, 5.3 L2 and 3.7 L3. O. ovis larvae were present during the four seasons of the year, but the mean larval burden was significantly higher during the spring and summer months, compared to winter (P < 0.05). The highest rate of larvae recovery coincided with mean temperatures between 20 °C and 25 °C and air relative humidity around 70%. Results suggest that evolution and development of O. ovis practically occurs throughout the entire year, with larval infestation especially frequent during the spring and summer months.

A proposal of structural models for colluvial and lateritic soil profile from southwestern Brazil on the basis of their collapsible behavior

This paper aims to propose structural models for understanding the collapsibility of a colluvial and lateritic soil by conducting oedometric tests with controlled suction executed in laboratory. The undisturbed soil samples submitted to experiments were collected by opening a trial pit in Experimental Field for Soil Mechanics and Foundations situated at the State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. The soil samples were characterized by means of standard geotechnical tests, chemical and mineralogical tests and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Oedometric tests with controlled suction showed the influence of matric suction on the compressibility of the soil samples. It was also observed that the higher the values of matric suction, the higher the Laboratory Collapse Potential — CP. The mineralogical chemical tests indicated the presence of oxides and hydroxides of iron in the samples, compounds usually associated with cementation. The presence of mineral, such as kaolinite, gibbsite, hematite and goethite, was also observed. The impregnated thin-layer plates of the soil samples, as well as the grain-size distribution curves and mercury intrusion porosimetry, indicated the presence of a structure formed by microaggregates. Structural models for soil collapse were proposed basing on the results obtained. There were behavioral differences in each soil sample collected at different depths. The behavior of the sample collected at a 1.5m depth was basically influenced by matric suction. As for the samples collected at 4.5m and 6.5m, besides being both influenced by matric suction they were also influenced by the presence of cementing agents (samples collected at 4.5m) and by the presence of more angular grains of quartz (samples collected at 6.5m).

Heritability for resistance to Puccinia psidii Winter rust in Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden in Southwestern Brazil

The climates of the central and southern regions of Sao Paulo state in Brazil favor pathogens such as Puccinia psidii Winter, which causes a common and severe disease in Eucalyptus plantations under 2 years old. We studied genetic parameters including genotype by environment interaction (G × E) of resistance to P. psidii rust in Eucalyptus grandis at nine sites in Sao Paulo State. Open-pollinated progeny from ten ‘provenances’ were established in a randomized complete block design; at individual sites there were from 134 to 160 progenies, from four to eight blocks, and five to six trees per plot. Significant provenance and progeny(provenance) differences were detected, as was G × E involving progeny(provenance). However, the G × E involved little if any rank changes, indicating that selection can be done efficiently at a single site, if the disease level is sufficient. The estimated coefficient of genetic variation among the progeny within provenances $$ \left( {{{{\widehat{\mathrm{CV}}}}_{\mathrm{g}}}} \right) $$ was high and variable among the sites (ranging from 11 % to 36.7 %), demonstrating different expression of genetic variability among the sites. The estimated heritability at the individual-tree level $$ \left( {{{\widehat{h}}^2}} \right) $$ and within a plot $$ \left( {\widehat{h}_{\mathrm{w}}^2} \right) $$ ranged from low to intermediate (ranging from 0.04 to 0.46) and was high at the progeny-mean level $$ \left( {\widehat{h}_{\mathrm{f}}^2} \right) $$ (ranging from 0.30 to 0.86). Our study shows good prospects of controlling this disease by selection among and within progenies in a single site.

Frugivory ofNeosilbaSpecies (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) andThepytus echelta(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) onPsittacanthus(Santalales: Loranthaceae) in Ecotonal Cerrado-South Pantanal, Brazil

This paper presents a survey of the insects that feed on fruits of Psittacanthus Martius (Santalales: Loranthaceae), a hemiparasitic mistletoe genus that infects trees in Brazil and other neotropical countries. The aim of the study was to identify candidate insects for biological control of Psittacanthus mistletoes. Unripe and mature fruits were collected in several localities of Cerrado, bordering South Pantanal, Southwestern Brazil, from 29 Apr 1998 to 30 Jul 2000. A total of 24,710 fruits (54 samples) of Psittacanthus acinarius infecting 15 species from 10 plant families were evaluated. Psittacanthus acinarius (Mart.) was the most abundant and frequent species of mistletoe parasitizing trees in the ecotonal Cerrado-Pantanal. From 24,710 fruits of Psittacanthus acinarius were obtained 1,812 insect larvae including 1,806 Neosilba McAlpine (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) species and 6 Thepytus echelta (Hewitson) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). From these emerged 1,550 Neosilba spp. adults and 6 T. echelta. Neosilba pantanense Strikis was described from this research. Larvae of T. echelta occurred in fruits of P. acinarius parasitizing Cecropia pachystachya Trécul (Urticaceae) and Anadenanthera colubrina (Vellozo) Brenan (Fabaceae). Larvae of Neosilba caused no adverse effects on the germination of infected fruits of Psittacanthus, because they do not eat the embryo or viscin tissues. This differs from the larvae of T. echelta that interrupted the germination of seeds by feeding on those tissues. Thepytus echelta may be a promising insect for the biological control of P. acinarius in the ecotonal Cerrado-Pantanal, although its abundance and frequency were low throughout the sampling period.

Absence of edge effect on small mammals in woodland-savannah remnants in Brazil

We evaluated the effect of edge on the richness, species composition, diversity, and abundance of small-mammal assemblages in remnants of woodland savannah in the Cerrado biome, south-western Brazil. Four remnants were sampled from September 2003 to July 2004, each one sampled in two field phases of 10 consecutive nights. Four sampling areas were selected in each remnant, two in edges and two in interiors (at least 200 m distant from the abrupt edge); each different habitat received a grid of 45 live-traps or a transect line pitfall-traps with 10 capture buckets. Structural variables of the vegetation at the edges and interiors were also measured in these habitats by two sampling methods. The gradients of fauna and vegetation were analysed in the edge-interior gradient (10 to 90 m inside the remnant). The trapping effort resulted in 342 captures of 219 individuals of 12 species. There was no evidence of edge effect on the small-mammal assemblages for richness, species composition, diversity and species abundance, but there was an apparent edge-interior gradient in the vegetation (e.g., understorey plants and bamboos). Results are discussed in the light of a supposed plasticity to environmental change faced by the small mammals from the Cerrado biome combined to a relatively good conservation of edges, since the structural parameters were rather similar between edges and interiors, despite the observed gradient up to 90 m within the remnants. Fences protecting edges from cattle and absence of water for cattle consuming in remnants were thought to be the main reasons for the observed edge conservation.

NÚMEROS DECIMAIS NA SALA DE AULA: OS CONHECIMENTOS DE UM GRUPO DE PROFESSORES E A RELAÇÃO COM SUA PRÁTICA PEDAGÓGICA

Este artigo apresenta uma pesquisa qualitativa desenvolvida com professores de uma escola municipal de Campo Grande/MS, que teve como objetivo investigar os conhecimentos de um grupo de educadores do 5º ano do Ensino Fundamental sobre números decimais e a relação com sua prática pedagógica. Para a coleta de dados foram realizadas observação das aulas de Matemática e cinco sessões de atividade, com os professores, sobre números decimais. A análise de documentos, como cadernos de alguns alunos e caderno de plano dos professores, e entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram também realizadas. Como referência para a organização dos dados foi utilizado o modelo teórico desenvolvido por Lee Shulman sobre a base de conhecimentos para o ensino, focando três vertentes: o conhecimento do conteúdo específico, o conhecimento pedagógico do conteúdo e o conhecimento curricular. Os resultados revelam a existência de lacunas no conhecimento específico sobre números decimais desses professores, as quais interferem em seu conhecimento pedagógico do conteúdo e também em seu conhecimento curricular, e tendem a influenciar a forma como organizam o processo de ensino e aprendizagem dos números decimais em sala de aula. Mostram a necessidade de reestruturação dos conhecimentos matemáticos básicos, necessários nos cursos de formação inicial e continuada para professores que atuam na Educação Infantil e anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental. Palavras-chave: Educação Matemática; Conhecimentos dos professores; Números decimais. Agência financiadora: CAPES

DNA barcoding reveals both known and novel taxa in the Albitarsis Group (Anopheles: Nyssorhynchus) of Neotropical malaria vectors

BackgroundMosquitoes belonging to the Albitarsis Group (Anopheles: Nyssorhynchus) are of importance as malaria vectors across the Neotropics. The Group currently comprises six known species, and recent studies have indicated further hidden biodiversity within the Group. DNA barcoding has been proposed as a highly useful tool for species recognition, although its discriminatory utility has not been verified in closely related taxa across a wide geographic distribution.MethodsDNA barcodes (658 bp of the mtDNA Cytochrome c Oxidase - COI) were generated for 565 An. albitarsis s.l. collected in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Trinidad and Venezuela over the past twenty years, including specimens from type series and type localities. Here we test the utility of currently advocated barcoding methodologies, including the Kimura-two-parameter distance model (K2P) and Neighbor-joining analysis (NJ), for determining species delineation within mosquitoes of the Neotropical Albitarsis Group of malaria vectors (Anopheles: Nyssorhynchus), and compare results with Bayesian analysis.ResultsSpecies delineation through barcoding analysis and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, fully concur. Analysis of 565 sequences (302 unique haplotypes) resolved nine NJ tree clusters, with less than 2% intra-node variation. Mean intra-specific variation (K2P) was 0.009 (range 0.002 - 0.014), whereas mean inter-specific divergence were several-fold higher at 0.041 (0.020 - 0.056), supporting the reported "barcoding gap". These results show full support for separate species status of the six known species in the Albitarsis Group (An. albitarsis s.s., An. albitarsis F, An. deaneorum, An. janconnae, An. marajoara and An. oryzalimnetes), and also support species level status for two previously detected lineages - An. albitarsis G &An. albitarsis I (designated herein). In addition, we highlight the presence of a unique mitochondrial lineage close to An. deaneorum and An. marajoara (An. albitarsis H) from Rondônia and Mato Grosso in southwestern Brazil. Further integrated studies are required to confirm the status of this lineage.ConclusionsDNA barcoding provides a reliable means of identifying both known and undiscovered biodiversity within the closely related taxa of the Albitarsis Group. We advocate its usage in future studies to elucidate the vector competence and respective distributions of all eight species in the Albitarsis Group and the novel mitochondrial lineage (An. albitarsis H) recovered in this study.

Physiological maturity of eggplant seeds

Determination of seed physiological maturity and ideal moment for harvesting fruits to extract their seeds are important aspects to produce seeds with high quality. To identify the best period for harvesting eggplant fruits, associated with ideal resting period of the fruit for extracting seeds, an eggplant production field was installed in municipality of Ijaci, in the State of Minas Gerais, Southwestern Brazil. The fruits were harvested at periods of 49, 56, 63, 70, and 77 days after pollination (DAP). The seeds of fruits harvested in each period were manually extracted immediately after harvest or after a post-harvest resting period of seven days, under a shed. The physiological quality of seeds was assessed by tests of: germination percentage; germination and emergence speed indexes; and electrical conductivity; which were carried out in the Central Seed Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras. Electrophoretic analyses of isoenzymes: catalase (CAT); esterase (EST); superoxide dismutase (SOD); and peroxidase (PO), were also therein performed. Results of germination and vigor of seeds have showed that the best period for harvesting the fruit is around 70 DAP; and that seeds should be extracted immediately after harvest. Electrophoretic analysis of enzymes has showed immaturity for eggplant seeds, harvested after 49 DAP.