
The physiological maturation, is characterized as the point where the vigor, germination and dry weight are the highest, indicating the ideal time to carry out the harvest in order to produce seeds of physiologically high quality. However, when harvested at this time, the plant is still in a relatively large amount of green and moist leaves and stems which substantially hinder the use of harvesters, besides having greater mechanical injury due to the high water content. Thus, the use of desiccants has emerged as an alternative to accelerate and homogenize the drying of the plants, allowing an earlier harvest. However, there are precautions to be taken in regard to the effects of the use of desiccants in income, on germination and seed vigor.