Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae) is a perennial species originating from the indian northwest that adapts to both irrigated and rain fed crop conditions and it is not very demanding on soils and fertilizers. It is grown in the brazilian northeast, specially in Ceará State, due to its use in clarification of cloudy waters. In spite of its recognized medicinal value and as non conventional vegetable rich in vitamin A no studies focalizing the viability of the seeds during the storage have been done. So, an experiment was carried out treatments arranged in a fatorial 2x4 scheme, corresponding the combination of two environments (natural and cold storage) and four times of storage (0, 6, 12 and 24 months) according to an entirely randomized design with four repetitions. The samples of seeds corresponding to the investigated treatments were conditioned in plastic bottle (PET 600mL). The measuring variables were: water content; percentage of germination; length of root, dry matter of seedling and electrical conductivity. The analysis of the results evidenced that after 12 months of storage in plastic bottles under natural environment, the seeds lose its viability, while under cold storage for 24 months the seeds present a reduction in its quality.
Moringa oleifera; Moringaceae; seeds; storage; viability
