INFLUENCE OF DRYING THE FRUITS OF Pentaclethra macroloba (WILLD.) O. KUNTZ (LEGUMINOSAE, CAESALPINIOIDEAE) ON THE PHYSIOLOGY AND GEOMETRY OF SEEDS AT DIFFERENT MATURATION STAGES

artificial intelligence, groundeye®, physiological maturation, physiological quality, pracaxi

The seed, during its development, acquires physiological quality, presenting the peak of maturity. Knowledge

of the physiological maturation process is fundamental, as it provides an understanding of the behavior of the species in relation to harvest, enabling the acquisition of seeds with maximum quality. This pointed out the objective of this study, which is to determine the physiological quality and geometry of the seeds of Pentaclethra macroloba (Willd.) O. Kuntz (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) after the artificial drying process, from fruits collected in two subpopulations located in Belém and São Domingos do Capim (Pará), and in three stages of maturation, considering: F1: dark green pericarp, F2: light green pericarp, F3: yellowish-green pericarp. After the artificial drying process of the fruits, the seeds will be extracted and subjected to procedures for analysis to determine water content, emergence test and vigor analysis. Later, the percentage of emerged seedlings (E) will be calculated, along with the average emergence time (AET), seedling emergence speed (SEI), length of the epicotyl (EL), main root (MRL), diameter of the collar (RCD), and epicotyl (ED) of the most vigorous seedlings. The geometric analysis will be carried out on 200 fruits and 600 seeds, evaluating size, shape and color using the artificial intelligence associated with Groundeye®. It is expected that fruits collected at different stages of maturation and subjected to artificial drying will continue their development even when disconnected from the mother plant, enabling the acquisition of seeds of high physiological quality and vigor. And the artificial intelligence of the Groundeye® computational software is efficient in analyzing images and identifying the geometric changes of fruits and seeds after the drying process.