The objective of this study was to test the sensibility of Theobroma subincanum seeds to reduced moisture content conditions and to exposure to low temperature. To test moisture content reduction, seeds were dried in rooms with relative air humidity of 55.5% and temperature of 23 ± 2ºC, for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48 hours, to obtain seed moisture content of 44.7%, 39.9%, 30.0%, 20.5%, 19.7%, 15.7% and 12.3%, respectively.To test sensibility to low temperature, seeds not exposed to drying were stored at a temperature of 7 ± 1ºC for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours. Germination tests were then conducted with four replication of 50 seeds. Moisture content of the seeds was determined from 50 replications of individual seeds. Results showed that T. subincanum seeds tolerate reduction in moisture content to level around 30.0%, without compromising the percentage of seed germination. More accentuated reductions in moisture content decreased the percentage of seed germination (even further), with a complete loss of germination, when seeds reached moisture content level of around 12.0%. The T. subincanum seeds also showed sensibility to low temperature and lost complete viability when exposed to a temperature of 7ºC for eight hours.
Theobroma subincanum; drying; fruit; Amazon
