Seeds intolerant to desiccation, such as those from Eugenia species, must be stored with a high water content which can contribute to microorganism development and lead to rapid seed deterioration. However, normal chemical control is unsuitable considering the use of these seeds in the natural environment. Thermal (seeds in water at 35 °C to 75 °C/ 30 to 150 min) and osmotic (seeds stored in an osmotic solution varying from -1,5MPa to -4,0 MPa) treatments, as well as controlled drying, could be used but there is little information about them and this gave origin to the present study. Results showed that chemical treatments (carboxin+thiram, captan and carbendazim+thiram) were the most efficient for controlling the most frequent fungal species, including Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Pestalotiopsis sp. and Alternaria sp. in seeds of Eugenia brasiliensis ("grumixameira"), E. uniflora ("pitangueira") and E. pyriformis ("uvaieira"). Thermal and osmotic treatments show significant potential for the control of these fungi but specific methodology must be developed, considering the inter-relationships of these treatments and the need to make successive application during seed storage.
native species; seed treatment; tropical seeds
