Seeking to study the maturation of seeds of pepper in function of the stage of maturation of the fruits in the harvest, it was conducted in the Center of Agrarian Sciences of the Federal University of Paraíba, in Areia, from Octuber/96 to Februatry/97, an experiment with to cultivate All big, from which were harvested fruits with 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 days after the anthesis. During the phase of development of the plants in field, monthly medium precipitation of 70.93mm, with the temperature of 21.1oC and relative humidity of 77.9% was verified. In the field, the plants were arranged in plots of 6.0m2 with 20 plants, in the
in experimental designe of randomized blocks, with six treatments (periods of harvest of fruits after the anthesis) in four replications. The fruits were evaluated with concerning the coloration, weight, size, number and weight of seeds; for the seeds, were determinated the moisture content, the dry matter weight, germination and vigor. The fruits reached maximum development in dimension and weight to the 50 days after the anthesis and they presented small red stains, but with predominance of the green color; with 60 days they were already red and with some green stains; with 70 days they had red coloration and with just some grooves of green color. The weight of the seeds reached the maximum value (3.51g per ten fruits) in fruit harvested to the 51 days. The weight of the seed in the pepper, is not related to the number of formed seeds. The moisture content of the seeds reached 55% in fruits harvested with 50 days, 53% with 60 days and 50% with 70 days after the anthesis. The dry matters weight reached maximum value (7.67mg/100 seeds) in the esteemed period of 55 days after anthesis. The largest germination percentage, verified in extracted seeds of fruits with 60 (81.5%) and 70 (86.5%) days after the anthesis, they reached the pattern minimum of national germination, that establishes 60% for the pepper. The vigor of the seeds, determined by means of the evaluation of germination percentagem in the first count laboratory and field and of the length of the radicle, it increased with the age of the fruits. The point of physiologic maturity of the seeds occurred 55 days after the anthesis, even before the complete maturation of the fruits.