PULP YIELD AND MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERS OF FRUIT AND SEED OF Eugenia calycina

The objectives of the study were to quantify the yield of pulp and evaluate morpho-physiological characters of fruits and seeds of the Eugenia calycina in different colors according to the maturation stage. In November 2006, 50 fruits of each coloration: green, orange, bright-red and dark-red, were collected from 20 matrixes in the Ecological Reserve of the Itororo Fishing and Hunting Club in Uberlandia. Fruits and seeds extracted from them were measured for length and width, and the masses of fresh and dry matter of the pulp. In November 2007, pulp yield from 20 matrixes were determined. The distribution t for Student was used to build confidential intervals for length, width and masses of fresh and dry matter of the pulp, besides frequency distributions for length e width for fruits and seeds. Great ranges were observed in fruit morphometry (8-20 mm width; 10-30 mm length) and seeds (8-14 mm width; 7-14 mm length), even within the same maturation stage. The yield of pulp was 59.1%, when the fruits were harvested between orange and bright-red colorations.