Desiccation sensitivity in seeds of Cerrado Pear (Eugenia klotzschiana O. Berg)

Abstract

Eugenia klotzschiana, commonly known as pêra-do-cerrado, belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is an unconventional food plant that is exploited in an extractive manner. The purpose of this study was to investigate the germination behavior of E. klotzschiana O. Berg seeds and their sensitivity to desiccation. The seeds were manually pulped from the fruits and stored in plastic containers. The initial water content was subsequently determined using the oven method at 105°C for 24 hours, yielding a value of 46.6%. Sub-samples were then separated to obtain the desired water contents of 40%, 32%, 22%, and 15% for treatments 2, 3, 4, and 5. The data underwent analysis of variance (ANOVA) and, if significant by the F test (p<0.05), the means were compared using the T test. Graphs with 95% confidence intervals were generated to illustrate the comparisons. The seedling development data was arranged in a box plot. The R software was used for these analyses. The data analysis revealed that E. klotzschiana O. Berg seeds do not have the potential to germinate with a water content lower than 22.50% moisture. Furthermore, the water content with the highest percentage, 46.6%, resulted in 100% germination.