The effect of coatings with different concentrations of tamarind seed starch associated with pomegranate seed oil in ‘Paluma’ guava was investigated in the present work. The fruits were harvested from an orchard in the morning, packed in containers previously lined with paper, and transported to a laboratory, where they were selected, washed, sanitized, and separated at random for the application of each treatment. The experiment design used was completely randomized, in the 6 × 6 factorial scheme, six coatings and six evaluation periods, with 3 replicates made up of 2 fruits. The treatments were: T1 (control or reference sample), without coating; T2 (0.24 mL of pomegranate seed oil/mL of coating); T3 (2% tamarind starch); T4 (1% tamarind starch); T5 (2% of tamarind starch); T6 (3% tamarind starch), T4, T5 and T6 were associated with 0.24 mL/mL of the pomegranate seed oil. The treatments were applied under immersion of the fruits in the solutions and then stored in a refrigerated chamber at 10±2 °C and 80±5% RH, and the evaluations were performed at intervals of 3 days to 12 days of storage. Due to the maintenance of the quality of the fruits, and without sufficient material, it was decided to extend storage time until the 21 days. Thus, the analyses were performed at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 21 days with evaluations at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 21 days. The T6 treatment (3% tamarind starch + 0.24 mL/mL pomegranate seed oil) was more efficient regarding luminosity (L*) of the fruits and delaying color development , expressed by the values of C*, also showing the higher retention in the loss of firmness, lower mass loss and lower soluble solids content, suggesting that this treatment possibly inhibited the degradation of polysaccharides, delaying the ripening process of the fruits.

RESUMO Este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a diversidade genética de 80 plantas matrizes de Hymenaea martiana Hayne através da avaliação de características físicas de frutos e sementes, e determinar a correlação dessas características e sua importância no estudo da variabilidade entre as matrizes. A coleta dos frutos foi realizada de diferentes plantas matrizes, localizadas no município de Areia-PB, cujas análises físicas foram: comprimento, largura, espessura e peso dos frutos e das sementes, bem como o número de sementes por frutos. Os dados físicos dos frutos e sementes foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva, análise de variância pelo teste F, sendo as médias agrupadas por meio do teste de Scott-Knott a 5% de probabilidade. Posteriormente, foi realizada a correlação de Spearman para todas as combinações entre as variáveis e a análise de componentes principais. O comprimento, largura, espessura e peso dos frutos variaram de 27,00 a 186,00 mm; 8,00 a 94,00 mm; 8,20 a 66,32 mm e 3,72 a 222,92 g, respectivamente. As matrizes 88 e 117 apresentaram frutos de maiores dimensões. O número de sementes por fruto foi de 0 a 15, enquanto para as sementes a variação foi de 10,03 a 38,00 mm, 5,30 a 32,39 mm, 1,84 a 35,36 mm e 0,52 a 9,99 g para o comprimento, largura, espessura e peso, respectivamente. As variáveis que mais contribuíram para o componente principal 1 foram as características referentes ao fruto - comprimento (16,4%), largura (16,9%) e peso (19,9%), sendo responsáveis por 53,2% da variação total do componente 1. Enquanto que o número de sementes por fruto (23,5%), espessura da semente (34,7%) e peso da semente (19%) contribuíram com 77,2% da variação total do componente 2. Na população natural de H. martiana, do município de Areia-PB, há divergência em relação às características fenotípicas de frutos e sementes. Das nove características avaliadas, seis têm maior contribuição para a variação total, destacando-se comprimento, largura e peso dos frutos, número de sementes por fruto, espessura e peso da semente.

It is very challenging to the quality of the papaya culture’s fruits (Carica papaya L.) after the crop, especially due to their significance to the international market, that is, their elevated exportation demands. The purpose of this work was the application of biodegradable coatings composed of Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp. associated or not with pomegranate seed oil in ‘Golden’ papaya and to evaluate their effect in the conservation powder-crop. The installation of the experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with a 6 x 6 factorial outline, that is, six concentrations (C: control; SO: 0.5% of Scenedesmus sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil; S: 0.5% of Scenedesmus sp.; CO: 0.5% of Chlorella sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil; CH: 0.5% of Chlorella sp.; O: 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil) and six evaluation periods (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days), stored at a temperature of 18±2 °C with 60±5% RH with three repetitions of two fruits per portion. The use of coverings composed of Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp. in association or not with pomegranate seed oil was proven efficient in the reduction of the breathing tax of ‘Golden’ papaya, delaying the ripening process, and therefore representing a promising alternative for these fruits’ powder-crop conservation. The coating composed of 0.5% of Chlorella sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil (CO) provided a better powder-crop conservation of ‘Golden’ papaya during 15 days of storage.

Physalis peruviana L. has great nutritional value and economic viability, representing an innovation for Brazilian horticulture. However, knowing the ideal point of harvesting fruits of this species is a key factor in this process that allows maximum post-harvest utilization, providing better quality and minimal losses when the fruit is harvested at physiological maturity. Therefore, this study was conducted to characterize the physiological maturity of Physalis peruviana L. fruits. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design in which the treatmentscorresponded to different stages of fruit and seed maturation (20, 27, 34, and 41 days after anthesis [DAA]), with four replicates. The analyzed variables consisted of colorimetry (lightness, chroma and hue angle) of calyx and fruit; fresh weight, diameter (transverse and longitudinal), firmness, pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total soluble solids:titratable acidity ratio, vitamin C and phenolic compounds of fruits; and carotenoids and chlorophyll (a and b) of calyx. The obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance and polynomial regression. Fruits intended for consumption must be harvested after 35 DAA, at which time yellow color and excellent organoleptic and nutritional qualities were observed.

Passiflora cincinnata (Mast), native to the Brazilian semi-arid region, produces exotic fruits even under low water availability. However, its green coloration at ripening complicates optimal harvesting, impacting post-harvest fruit quality. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of cultivation systems (irrigated and rainfed) and different ripening stages on the physical and post-harvest characteristics of wild passion fruit during the second production cycle. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to two cultivation systems (irrigated and rainfed) and four fruit ripening stages (60, 80, 100, and 120 days after anthesis—DAA), with five replications. The fruit pulps were analyzed for physicochemical characterization and bioactive compounds. The physical and chemical characteristics of wild passion fruit were influenced by ripening stages and the irrigation system. The rainfed system decreased the total fruit mass by 15.50% compared to the irrigated cultivation. Additionally, the rainfed cultivation reduced the fruit color index by 14.82% and altered the respiratory pattern, causing a linear decrease of 73.37% in the respiration rate during ripening, in contrast to the behavior observed in the irrigated system, which reached an estimated minimum rate of 33.74 mg CO₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 110 days after anthesis.

Seed quality is essential for developing conservation, management, and ecological restoration techniques, selecting highquality seed lots, and understanding the genetic variability of species. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds from 80 mother trees in a natural population of Hymenaea martiana in Areia, Paraíba, Brazil. Seed vigor was assessed based on traits related to emergence and early seedling development. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), with means compared using the Scott-Knott test at a 5% significance level, and complemented by Pearson correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Mother trees M86, M145, M157, M171, M184, and M187 demonstrated superior performance in emergence traits, while M8, M86, M88, M117, and M152 exhibited greater shoot length. Mother trees M10, M11, M12, M14, M21, M24, M73, and M152 produced seedlings with greater root length, while M187 produced seedlings with higher root dry weight. In PCA, three principal components explained 81.63% of the total data variance, with emergence traits contributing most to PC1, mean emergence time to PC2, and root length and dry weight to PC3. In this context, the evaluated natural population of H. martiana mother trees exhibited variability in seed physiological quality, primarily driven by first emergence count, emergence speed index, and final emergence percentage.