THE QUALITY OF ‘GBOMA' EGGPLANT (Solanum macrocarpon L.) SEEDS EXTRACTED FROM SERIALLY HARVESTED FRUITS

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria to determine the most appropriate stage at which to harvest 'Gboma' eggplant (Solanum macrocarpon L) fruits to obtain high quality seeds. Flowers were date-tagged on the field at anthesis and serially harvested at four days intervals from 14 to 66 days after anthesis (DAA). Records were taken on fruit internal and external features, seed dry matter, germination percentage (GP), germination rate index (GRI) and germination index (GI) at each harvest. GP, GRI and GI were also determined at an interval of seven days during a 42- day storage period at 37OC and 75% relative humidity. Fruit colour changed from green to yellowish green at about 30 DAA and later turned brown. By 58-66 DAA fruit mesocarp and ocular cavity were dry and fruits were prominently shrunken at 62 and 66 DAA. Seed dry matter increased significantly (P≤5%) from about 0.06 g/50 seeds at 22 DAA to 0.16 g at 42 DAA with no further significant increases thereafter. Non-stored seeds harvested earlier than 58 DAA germinated significantly (P≤5%) poorer (0 to19%) compared to those harvested at 58 to 66 DAA with germination of 52-58%. A range of 0-34% germination was recorded at 14-54 DAA; about 86, 75 and 76% at 58, 62 and 66 DAA respectively. GRI and increased significantly (P ≤ 5%) from about 0.1% -day to about 5.7%-day and about 3.0 to 272.5 respectively at 38 to 66 DAA in non-aged seeds with increases during storage. A decline in the values of all parameters was generally recorded beyond 14 days of storage which is an indication of seed deterioration. It is concluded that "Gboma' eggplant seed attained maximum quality at about 58 DAA when fruits were left to dry completely on the mother-plant and still retained high quality at 62 and 66 DAA when fruits had become shrunken.