Emergence of Conilon Coffee Seedlings Originating from Seeds Treated with a Sodium Hypochlorite Solution

Abstract

The coffee seeds are problematic for the physiologycal quality, featuring low speed of seedling emergence. In this sense, this work was developed with the objective of evaluating the effect of sodium hypochlorite in the removal of the parchment and in the emergence and seedlings development of conilon coffee in nursery conditions. Coffee seeds of the variety Victoria were used, which were harvested in the cherry stage and pulped by hand. Seeds were dried in an oven with forced ventilation until reaching moisture contents of 35%, 30% and 25% wet basis. Then, the seeds with parchment were soaked in a sodium hypochlorite solution with concentrations of 4%, 5%, 6% and 7% active chlorine for 3 and 6 hours. For each moisture content, two additional treatments were added consisting of seeds with parchment and seeds in which the structure was removed manually. The characteristics evaluated were: emergence speed index, total emergence, dry mass of the shoots and root system. Utilization of sodium hypochlorite promoted an acceleration in seedling emergence speed similar to the method for manual removal of the parchment when using concentrations of 4%, 5%, 6% and 7% for 3 hours, at all moisture contents.