Efecto del secado al sol sobre la fisiología de semillas de Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Introduction. Quality seed production is a limiting factor for bean cultivation in developing countries. Objective. To evaluate the effect of sun drying, under different exposure times, on the viability and vigor of bean seeds cv. ‘Cuba Cueto 25-9N’. Materials and methods. At the University of Artemisa, Cuba, between January and May 2024, freshly harvested bean seeds cv. ‘Cuba Cueto 25-9N’ were sun dried on jute sacks to evaluate three drying durations (24, 48, and 72 h) and to determine post-treatment humidity and germination as viability criteria. Vigor tests included germination dynamics, emergence rate, electrical conductivity, and the accelerated aging test. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and comparison of means using the Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). Results. The 24 and 48 h drying treatments reduced seed moisture to values that did not affect viability (92.66 and 84.33 % germination, respectively) or vigor. Drying for 72 h decreased the percentage of moisture to 2.96 %, negatively affecting viability and vigor. Conclusions. Sun drying of bean seeds for 24 and 48 h reduced moisture and favored viability and vigor, contributing to the preservation of their physiological quality under conditions of low economic resources. The 24 h treatment proved to be more efficient.