This study evaluated the immediate and latent effects of drying-air temperature on the vigour of carambola seeds determined under controlled laboratory conditions. Seed vigour was assessed through the germination speed index and the mean time to germinate. A continuous-flow thin-layer prototype dryer with an air inlet providing a tangential airflow was used. Tests were conducted employing three levels of drying-air temperature (30, 34, and 38 °C), one level of dry air flow rate (1.123 kg s-1 m-2), and six storage periods (0, 45, 60, 90, 180 and 270 days). Seeds were stored at 15 °C. No immediate effect of drying-air temperature on seed vigour has been observed. Evaluation of the effect of storage conditions on seed quality revealed that higher values of germination speed index were observed for seeds dried at 38 °C and stored for 180 days. Seed vigour, estimated through the mean time to germinate, irrespective of drying-air temperature, was higher for seeds stored for 90 and 270 days. Due to ambiguity of the results, the two indices should be used with caution to distinguish the physiological quality of different lots of carambola seeds.
Averrhoa carambola; physiological quality; moisture content; germination speed index
