The effect of maturation of umbels with and without floral stems was evaluated in this research. The 'Beta Cristal' cultivar, destined for pickle production, was used in this study. By the time of floral button opening, 200 umbels with about 70% of open flowers were selected and labeled at random. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design arranged using a factorial scheme 2 x 5: two lengths of floral stem (0 and 30 cm) and five harvesting times (closed capsules and 10% of seeds with black tegument; closed capsules and 90% of seeds with black tegument; closed capsules and 100% of seeds with black tegument; 10% of open capsules and 30% of open capsules). Harvesting was performed at weekly intervals. Seeds reached the most adequate moisture content between the third and forth harvesting. Also, seed had the higher mass at the forth harvesting (1000 seeds = 3.78 g). Umbel with floral stem increased seed mass by the second harvesting. Seeds from the last three harvesting had the higher germination (above 88%) and vigor (above 52% in the first counting test); presence or absence of floral stem did not affect seed germination. In accelerated aging test, seeds from the last two harvestings had higher vigor (above 90%). Seedling emergence was above 90% in seeds from the last two harvestings. The best time for seed harvesting is when 10% of the capsules are opened. At this time, no significant effect on the physiological seed quality was observed between umbels with and without floral stem.
Allium cepa; germination; vigor; stand establishment
