%0 Journal Article %T Characterization of mechanical damage in coffee seeds by the LERCAF¨¦ test1 Caracteriza o de danos mecanicos em sementes de cafeeiro pelo teste LERCAF¨¦ %A Jo£¿o Batista Zonta %A Eduardo Fontes Ara¨²jo %A Roberto Fontes Ara¨²jo %A Fl¨¢via Miranda Garcia Zonta %J IDESIA %D 2011 %I Universidad de Tarapac¨¢ %X The present work aimed at evaluating the use of the LERCAF¨¦ test to estimate germination and characterize mechanical damage in coffee seeds. The experiment was conducted in the Laboratory of Seed Research at the Universidade Federal de Vi osa, Vi osa-MG. Coffea arabica seeds were submitted to the following treatments: Lot 1 (0% of damaged seeds), Lot 2 (5% of damaged seeds), Lot 3 (10% of damaged seeds) and Lot 4 (15% of damaged seeds). The mechanical damage was caused with the use of the Pulverisette 14 (Fritsch) apparatus. The damage was caused randomly and individually in the seeds, and the lots proportionally combined undamaged and damaged seeds, totaling 1600 seeds per lot. The seeds were evaluated by the germination and LERCAF¨¦ tests. For this type of damage, the germination results achieved by the LERCAF¨¦ test presented high correlation with those achieved by the germination test (r=0,9550). Although being randomly caused in the seeds, in other words, without reaching a pre-determined region, the mechanical damage was always characterized by a breach in the embryo region and/or in the region opposite to the embryo and the edges of these breaches presented a green stain. The LERCAF¨¦ test was efficient to estimate germination and characterize mechanical damage in coffee seeds. Lots of seeds mechanically damaged presented a sharp decrease in the germination power. Objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar a utiliza o do teste LERCAF¨¦ para estimar a germina o e caracterizar danos mecanicos em sementes de cafeeiro. O experimento foi conduzido no Laborat¨®rio de Pesquisa de Sementes da Universidade Federal de Vi osa, Vi osa-MG. Utilizaram-se sementes de cafeeiro ar¨¢bica, submetidas aos seguintes tratamentos: Lote 1 (0% de sementes danificadas), Lote 2 (5% de sementes danificadas), Lote 3 (10% de sementes danificadas) e Lote 4 (15% de sementes danificadas). Os danos mecanicos foram provocados com uso de equipamento Pulverisette 14 (Fritsch). O dano foi causado individualmente nas sementes, ao acaso, e os lotes foram obtidos misturando-se proporcionalmente sementes sem dano com sementes danificadas, num total de 1600 sementes por lote. As sementes foram avaliadas pelos testes de germina o e LERCAF¨¦. Para este tipo de dano, os resultados de germina o obtidos pelo teste LERCAF¨¦ apresentaram alta correla o com os obtidos pelo teste de germina o (r=0,9550). O dano mecanico, apesar de ter sido provocado ao acaso nas sementes, ou seja, sem atingir uma regi o pr¨¦-determinada, caracterizou-se sempre por uma fenda na regi o do embri o e/ou na regi o oposta ao embr %K teste r¨¢pido %K hipoclorito de s¨®dio %K Coffea arabica %K fast test %K sodium hypochlorite %K Coffea arabica %U http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-34292011000300005