Germination potential of Hymenaea courbaril L. in different maturation stages

Abstract

The production of quality forest seedlings in large quantities is essential for the restoration of environments that have been deforested and degraded. However, obtaining seeds with high vigor is a challenge for several tree species native to Brazil. The objective of this work was to verify the germination potential of jatobá-da-mata seeds at different stages of maturation, in order to favor the production of seedlings of this species in nurseries. The seeds were extracted from green and ripe fruits detached from the mother plant and ripe fruits collected from the ground. The germination percentage, average germination time, emergence speed index, average speed, relative frequency, leaf area of the seedling, and length of the aerial part and root were measured. The planting was carried out with mechanically scarified and intact seeds from each maturation group. The results indicated that non-scarified green seeds can be used for planting and seedling production, as they do not require pre-germination treatment and have a favorable germination percentage (79%). Fruit seeds harvested from the ground, on the other hand, needed a method to overcome integumentary dormancy, such as mechanical scarification, obtaining a germination rate of 85%. The seeds of ripe fruits harvested in the matrix showed greater vigor, with a higher percentage of germination (96 to 100%), a higher emergence speed index, shorter average germination time, and seedlings with greater leaf area and greater length of shoot.

Physiological maturity of Cenostigma tocantinum Ducke (Fabaceae) seeds

“…seeds found higher percentages of seedling emergence at 50 DAA, with 40% emergence (Medeiros et al, 2019). In seeds of Hymenaea courbaril L., a higher value for ESI (0.85) was observed in seeds collected from mature fruits (Guariz et al, 2021). This demonstrates that the seedling emergence test can be a good indicator for differentiating seed vigor.…”

Germinative potential of ‘Pata-de-Vaca’ seeds at different maturation stages under various temperatures

“…For both maturity conditions, temperatures of 15 and 20 ºC were harmful to the seeds, providing very low percentages when compared to the other temperatures, being 5 and 1% for mature seeds and 1 and 0% for immature seeds, respectively. This is different from the recommendation for Hymenaea courbaril Lindl., in which, according to Guariz et al (2021), seeds capable of germination were obtained at all stages of fruit maturation (immature harvested from the matrix, mature harvested from the matrix, and mature harvested from the ground).…”