The work was carried out at FCA-UNESP, in Botucatu (SP), with the aim of studying the effect of fruit age and post harvest rest on quality of okra seeds cv. Santa Cruz-47 (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench.). At the day of the anthesis, the flowers were labeled and fruits were picked with 34,41,48 and 55 days after the anthesis (DAA). For each age, in half of the fruits the seeds were immediately extracted and the another half was stored for fourteen days before seed extraction. To verify the quality of seeds the following tests were accomplished: seed water content at extraction, weight of 100 seeds, germination test, first counted of germinated seeds and eletrical conductivity. It may be concluded that the fruit storage for any fruit age increases seed vigour, and for final germination, the rest is favorable when fruits are picked still new (34 and 41 DAA).
Abelmoschus esculentus; maturation; germination; vigor; okra
