The objective of this work was to evaluate the physical and physiologic changes happened during the development of tamarind fruits and seeds. Trees of a located orchard were selected at the Federal Agrothechnic School of Sousa-PB, with 50% of the inflorescences in anthesis, which branches, containing open flowers, were marked and the crops were accomplished to the 20, 40, 70, 100, 130, 160, 190, 220, 250, 270 and 280 days after anthesis. To each crop, fruits and seeds were submitted to the following evaluations: length, width and thickness of fruits and seeds (cm); fruits and seeds dry matter mass (g); seeds water content (%) and germination test (%).Tamarind plants took approximately 280 days after anthesis to complete the cycle from blooming to crop, period represented by fruits' growth, maturation and ripening. Tamarind fruits growth can be described by a simple sigmoidal model. Tamarind fruits physiologic maturation happened in the period between 270 and 280 days after anthesis, which coincided with the plant mother's natural detachment and seeds maturation to the 277 days after anthesis.
Tamarindus indica L.; physiologic maturation; seeds
