The velvet bean [Mucuna aterrima (Piper et Tracy) Holland] is a legume used for green manure and as forage. Its seeds have dormancy caused by coating impermeable to water. The purpose of this work was to study relations between seed drying in intact pod and hardness occurrence. Pods were harvested weekly between 40 and 89 days after flowering. From these pods, subjected or not to dry, seeds were evaluated regarding moisture content at harvest, color of pods and seeds at harvesting times, electrical conductivity of exudate solutions, germination and hard seeds presence. Seed drying in intact pods, separated from plants, is favors the development of hardness. However this occurrence decreases with a late separation from plants.
Mucuna aterrima; dormancy
