EFFECTS OF AIR FLOW RATE AND TEMPERATURE DURING FRUIT DRYING ON GERMINATION OF EUCALYPTUS SEED

EDUARDO EUCLYDES DE LIMA E BORGES; ADAIR JOSÉ REGAZZI; GERALDO ROCHA CARVALHO; PAULO CÉSAR CORRÊA

 

Fruits of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden were dryied by using temperatures of 40, 50 and 60°C wifh air flow rates of 19 and 43m3/min. Subsequently, seeds were stored in a cold and dry room (5°C and 30% relative humidity) and a cold and moist room (15°C and 85% relative humidity). A decrease in seed germination occurred in both flow rates, when the drying temperature was 60oC. The drying temperature of 50°C with air flow rate of 19m3/min. caused a latent injury to seed quality, which was detected only after, three months of storage. At the temperatures levels and air flow rates used in this research, the cold and dry storage was more adequate to preserve the quality of the Eucalyptus seed.



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