With the objective of determining the ideal period for evaluation of the vigor of maxixe
seeds through the test of accelerated aging, five lots of seeds were analyzed. The seeds were submitted
to an atmosphere (stove incubator for B.O.D.) with temperature of 41ºC and relative humidity of air,
approximately, 100% for periods of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. Elapsed these periods, the seeds were placed
to germinate to the alternated temperature of 20-30ºC, being used as substratum paper forest-blot and
eight hours of light in the largest temperature. The works were accomplished, in the period of January
to May of 1997, in a complete randomized design with four replications. The period of 48 hours of
accelerated aging facilitated the best identification of the lots with different vigor levels and, at the same
time, it presented correlation highly significant with the germination tests and fied emergency.