The determination of the physiological seed maturity as well as the most appropriate harvest time are important aspects to achieve high quality seeds. This information is still not available for seed production of "dedo de moça" pepper (Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum) accessions. Thus the objective of the present study was to evaluate the physiological seed quality of C. baccatum var. pendulum cv. BRS Mari from fruits harvested in different physiological maturity stages. The experiment was carried out at the experimental field and laboratories at Embrapa Hortaliças in Brasília Brazil. Seeds were obtained from fruits harvested at different maturation stages (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 days after anthesis). We determined fruit color length chlorophyll and capsaicin contents seed moisture content 100 seed weight germination seedling emergence under greenhouse conditions and accelerated aging test. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this study. Physiological seed maturity of 'BRS Mari' occurred at 70 days after anthesis when fruits presented red color lower chlorophyll content and highest capsaicin accumulation. At this stage seed moisture content was 39% and the seed mass germination and vigor were the highest
C. baccatum var. pendulum ; capsaicin; seed physiological quality; vigor; harvest
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