The physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) has great potential for use in biodiesel production due to the high oil content of its seeds. Production of high quality seeds depends upon the appropriate time of harvest. A field experiment was carried out to monitor the maturation process of physic nut seeds and to establish the ideal harvest time of the seeds based on external fruit color. Fruits were collected at different maturation stages based on the external color: green, yellow-green, yellow, yellow-brown and brown. Seeds were extracted manually and, after natural drying, were submitted to the following tests and determinations: moisture content and dry matter, germination, first count seedling emergence, seedling growth, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, the weight of thousand seeds and oil content. A randomized design was used with four replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and, for each test, treatment means were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. Physic nut seeds with high physiological quality are obtained from yellow and yellow-brown fruits. Seeds from green fruits have lower physiological quality, dry matter and oil content than the other maturation stages. The seeds obtained from brown fruits have a high germination potential, but have low vigor in relation to yellow and yellow-brown stages.
Germination; vigor; harvest; maturity
