Image analysis of papaya seeds submitted to sarcotesta removal methods

The germination of papaya seeds is slow and uneven, usually due to inhibitors present in the sarcotesta; however, some removal procedures may cause physical damage, negatively interfering in the physiological quality and field performance. This study aimed to evaluate the physical and physiological quality of papaya seeds submitted to methods of sarcotesta removal by image analysis. Papaya Formosa ‘Tainung 01' seeds were submitted to the following methods of sarcotesta removal: fermentation + sieve, sand + sieve, sieve and blender + sieve. After the sarcotesta removal, the seeds were submitted to tests of germination, first germination count, germination speed and seedling length. For the image analysis, the seeds without sarcotesta were submitted to the X-ray test and to a computerized analysis of seedling images by the SVIS® software. The methods used were only promising for the sarcotesta removal, while the blender + sieve method obtained the highest physical and physiological seed quality, in addition to performing the best sarcotesta removal. However, the image analysis using the SVIS® software allowed to identify the high physical and physiological seed quality using the blender + sieve method, which promoted the highest efficiency in removing the sarcotesta.