S25 - Session O2 - Effect of fruit maturation, umbel order, packaging containers and storage time on coriander (Coriander sativum) seeds from Alentejo (Portugal)

Authors: Orlanda Viamonte Póvoa *, Noémia Farinha, Mariana Paulo, Maria Churra

Coriander is the most cultivated aromatic and medicinal species in Alentejo for food seasoning. Seeds are often attacked by ants and fungus. Small farmers need effective cheap and available packaging materials and techniques to storage seeds. Seed germination trials were done using a coriander landrace, collected on June 2015 with 82,5% germination capacity. In the 1 st trial (April 2016) whole cremocarps and separated mericarps were compared; 4 seed pre-germination treatments were also considered: control, 48h freezing, 5 minutes' immersion on 95% ethyl alcohol and 5 minutes' immersion on 5% sodium hypochlorite solution. In the 2 nd trial 3 seed packaging containers (paper, glass and plastic) and 5 storage conditions: room temperature (ca. 20 ºC), refrigerator (ca 5ºC), freezing (-5ºC), 24h freezing and after room temperature and 24h freezing and after refrigerator, were compared. The 3 th trial was done with seeds collected in June 2016; subsamples of 7 stages of fruit maturation and 4 types of umbels (1 st order, 2 nd order, 3 rd order, 4 th order) were considered. All the trials were done on Petri dishes, incubated at 20ºC and 12h photoperiod, using 3 replications of 50 mericarps. The 2 nd trial was repeated on 2017 and 2021; the 3 th trial was repeated on 2018 and on 2021 to evaluate germination capacity after long term storage. Separated mericarps had significant (p < ,05) higher germination (76,25 %) than whole cremocarps (56,25%). Seed immersion on ethyl alcohol and sodium hypochlorite had significant (p < ,05) statistical positive effect on fungus control. The order of umbels didn't affect seed germination. Tested seed packaging containers had similar germination results after 1 year storage time, but freeze seeds had significant (p < ,05) lower germination than other tested temperature storage conditions. Seed maturation stages didn't affected germination, which allows collecting seeds before ant's attacks on the field.