The Paraná State (Brazil) contributes significantly to the Brazilian onion production. However, this State imports all needed onion seeds. The effect of umbel's harvest period, and harvesting with or without the seed stalk were evaluated. Treatments resulted from the combination of three harvesting periods (with green capsules, at the beginning of capsule opening and with 10% opened capsules), combined with umbels on 15 cm long stalks or without stalks, arranged in a factorial scheme 3x2. The experimental design was a randomized blocks, with four replications. The bulbs of Crioula cultivar proceeded from EPAGRI, Santa Catarina State, and were planted on July/2002, in Imbituva, Paraná State, under protected cultivation. At flowering, four umbels per plot were marked to future use in the evaluations. The number of total of fertile flowers (capsules) and unfertile flowers were counted on each harvested umbel. Seeds were detached from capsules and the number of seeds per capsule obtained, besides the yield per umbel, weight of 100 seeds, germination and vigor of the seeds. Harvesting umbels with the seed stalk had no effect on the seed yield and on seed physiological potential. The harvesting period presented significant effect on the amount and quality of the harvested seeds. The best harvesting period was at the beginning of capsule opening or when 10% of capsules were opened, resulting in higher number of seeds/umbel, higher seed yield/umbel and higher seed weight per capsule. The average yield was 2.9 g/umbel besides higher vigor (90.25%) and germinability (85.25%). Harvesting at the beginning of capsule opening helps to avoid the lost of seeds by thresh or diseases.
Allium cepa L.; seed harvesting time
