The operations realized at harvest are important when the aim is to obtain seeds with good qualities and these processes are affected by the manner and time of their realization. This study was carried out investigate the influence of the harvest time on the quality of seeds of cotton produced in three microregions of Paraíba state. Cotton seeds, cultivar CNPA 7H, collected at different times (7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 hours) and in different microregions of the state of Paraíba, Curimataú Oriental Paraibano (Tacima), Piemonte da Borborema (Guarabira) and Alto Sertão Paraibano (Diamante) were submitted to determination of the moisture content and evaluations of germination and vigour (cold test, speed of germination and field emergence). The sanitary analysis (fungi) was also performed. In the statistical analysis at first the data were considered individually of the effect of the microregions and then another analysis was done considering the effect of harvest times versus microregions. The highest values of germination and vigour were obtained in the Tacima fields which were harvest between 11:00 and 15:00 hours. Cotton seeds collected at the first (7:00) and last (17:00) times showed the least physiological quality in the three production fields. Seeds produced in Tacima presented the best physiological quality. The seeds produced in the Diamante had the highest fungi incidence, mainly of fungi of the Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium sp species.
Gossypium hirsutum; seeds; times of harvest; physiological quality
