This work was carried out in Coimbra - MG, Brazil, to study the viability of using desiccants
to anticipate the harvest of bean seed, cv. Carioca, and to chooce the ideal interval for their application. The
experiment was installed as a factorial design, in a completely randomized bloc. Desiccation treatments
were: control, paraquat, paraquat + diquat and glufosinate-ammonium, applied at 26, 29, 33 and 36 days
after flowering (DAF). At these stages, seed moisture content corresponded to 42, 37, 26 and 21%,
respectively. Paraquat and paraquat + diquat were efficient in lowering seed moisture content and to anticipate
harvest, maintaining high seed quality. The ideal moment for desiccant application was at 29 DAF.