Physical characteristics and physiological quality of passion fruit seeds encrusted with different materials

Passion fruit seeds (Passiflora edulis Sims) exhibit variations in size, shape, and texture, making both manual and mechanized sowing challenging. An effective solution is seed coating by incrustation, which aims to standardize seed shape and improve texture. Given this, the objective was to evaluate the effects of incrustation on the physical characteristics and physiological quality of passion fruit seeds. The experiment was conducted at the Laboratory of Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products of the Federal University of Campina Grande, using different filler materials: 100% bentonite, 50% bentonite + 50% gypsum, and 100% gypsum, as well as treatments with clove extract and the fungicide carboxin+thiram. The physical characteristics analyzed included sieve retention, repose angle, porosity, and coating resistance to drop. Physiological quality was evaluated by germination, germination speed index, and first germination count. The results indicated that incrustation increased seed size, repose angle, and porosity, while bentonite coating showed higher resistance to drop. However, a reduction in germination and seed vigor was observed, especially with 100% bentonite. Thus, the choice of filler materials should be made carefully to balance physical improvements with the preservation of seed physiological quality.