The loss of seed viability, what makes it difficult to keep the high physiological quality, is one the greatest problems faced by the coffee seed producers during seed storage. Thus, the performance of the coffee seeds (Coffea arabica L. cv. Rubi) during storage harvested in 2001/2002, at Federal University of Lavras-Brazil (UFLA), was investigated. After cleaning seeds were kept at 47,5% of water content (WC), fast (forced air chamber at 35ºC) and slow (open environment with 20ºC and 60% of relative humidity (RH)) dried until reaching 12%. The seeds were packed in hermetic bags and stored for 9 months at two environments: regular, with monitored temperature and RH, and in dry cold chamber at 10ºC and 50% of RH. Before storage and every three months seed quality was evaluated by the germination test, seedlings emergency, emergency speed index and tetrazolium test. Fast drying decreases the vigor of seeds independent from where they dry. In cold chamber it is possible to store regular seeds or slowly dried seeds for up to nine months. In a regular warehouse environment the vigor is affected independently from the way they are dried.
Coffea arabica; germination; viability
