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Information regarding the correlation between characters are of great importance to simultaneous traits selection in breeding programs. However, quantification and interpretation of the correlations magnitude do not imply in direct and indirect effects. In this context, the path analysis is presented as an alternative and viable tool for the selection process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic, genotypic and environmental correlations between eight major agronomic characters in pepper lines (C. chinense L.) and its consequences in direct and indirect effects by path analysis. Eight agronomic traits were assessed under field conditions in 22 C. chinense L lines. According to the results, there is a genetic variability among the evaluated lines, whose yield per plant (PY) and total number of fruits (NF) variables are highly correlated with high direct effect on pepper lines yield. The selection of pepper lines with high yield can be accomplished through direct selection or using a suitable selection index, being advantageous to select lines with other characteristics, such as appropriate scion height and diameter for conducting manual and mechanized harvesting. The use of the constant k is efficient to reduce the variance of path coefficients, providing better estimation of the effects that affects yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvesting and drying are essential procedures to obtain high quality seeds as well as for their conservation during storage. The goal of this research was to identify the physiological maturity stage and to verify the effect of drying speeds on the quality of zucchini seeds. A completely randomized design in a 3x2x2 factor scheme was used, involving three fruit maturation stages (49, 56 and 63 days after anthesis - DAA), two drying speeds (slow and quick) and two storage periods (0 and 6 months). Seed quality was evaluated by germination, first count, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, tetrazolium, seedling emergence, emergence speed index and seed health test. Moisture content, thousand seed mass and percentage full seeds were also evaluated. Zucchini seeds reach maximum quality at 49 DAA. Slow or quick drying and storage do not affect the physiological quality of seeds that were harvested at 49 DAA. The delayed harvest of fruits reduces the quality of seeds. Quick drying reduces the incidence of the fungi Alternaria, Cladosporium, Phoma and Fusarium, and increases the occurrence of Aspergillus and Penicillium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]