Quality of black bean seeds harvested with different moisture contents and submitted to two different storage systems

Abstract

Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the main foods of the Brazilian diet. However, to achieve high yields, one of the determining factors is seed quality, which can be influenced by harvesting time and storage. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physical quality and physiological performance of black bean seeds as function of the moisture content at harvest and storage method. For that, black bean seeds, cultivar BRS Campeiro, were used. The harvest was performed when the seeds reached moisture contents of 26.2, 16.6 and 13.5 %. The storage was carried out in hermetic (PET bottles) and conventional (paper bags) systems for 240 days. There was a reduction in the physical quality and the physiological performance of the bean seeds according to the storage time and the harvest delay. However, the seeds stored in a sealed system showed less reduction in physical quality and physiological performance over time, regardless of the harvest moisture content. The harvest of black bean seeds, cultivar BRS Campeiro, with moisture contents between 16.6 and 26.2 % and stored in hermetic system present better physical quality and physiological performance.