Pre-germination Treatments, Quality of Light and Temperature on Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc. Seeds Germination

Abstract

Studies show that most species of palm trees present seed dormancy. This characteristic hinders the production of seedlings, due to the long period for germination and the unevenness of the seedlings. The specie Syagrus coronata, despite being widely used as food and economic resources, presents also seed dormancy, which hinders its propagation. Thus, this work aimed at evaluating the germination of S. coronata seeds using different methods of dormancy breaking and also, under different qualities of light and temperature. To do so, the seed endocarps were scarified by friction, puncture and complete removal of the endocarp, and the pre-soaking of seeds at different concentrations (50, 100, 200 and 400 mg L-1) of gibberellic acid (GA3) and indolebutyric acid (IBA). We also evaluated the effect of germination in seeds exposed to different conditions of light (white, red, far red, blue and dark) and to different temperatures (25, 30, 35 and 20-30 °C). The data show that the act of rubbing the endocarp optimizes the seed germination process. Solutions containing growth regulators in the pre-soaking of seeds have a negative impact on germination. And the absence of light and the constant temperature of 25 °C are the most suitable for germination. The results indicate that S. coronata seeds have physical dormancy, and, despite obtaining greater germination in the dark, they are neutral photoblastic.

Direct seeding as a recruitment alternative for the threatened tropical palm Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Beccari in Brazilian dry forest

“…Beccari, known as licuri (Drumond, 2007). This species is a late successional colonizer and has greater growth when subjected to reduced levels of luminosity (Carvalho et al, 2006;Porto et al, 2018). Its seeds are considered recalcitrant, are highly sensitive to desiccation (Rodrigues, 2004), in which the burying is recommended (Pereira et al, 2021).…”

“…In this study, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) managed habitat (pastureland) has higher seed mortality than natural habitat (caatinga vegetation); and (2) defleshed fruits will have greater germination success compared to not defleshed. The prediction that prolonged fruit exposure in deforested habitats can make seeds more sensitive to desiccation was tested (Souza-Silva et al, 2015;Porto et al, 2018), reducing germination rates (Caixeta, 2018). Furthermore, habitat disturbance will lead to low rates of seed removal by vertebrates, considering that pastures are often related to defaunation processes (Fedriani and…”

“…It has drupe-like fruits, with a light yellow to orange exocarp when ripe (Noblick, 2017;Moura et al, 2019) and fibrous-mucilaginous mesocarp with a sweet and edible flavor and lignified endocarp, which covers the white-yellowish endosperm with oleaginous properties (Moura et al, 2019). Seeds maintain viability for up to 180 days when stored in permeable bags and conditions of temperature (25º C) and relative humidity of 53-72% (Porto et al, 2018). The collection of its leaves, fruits and seeds is an important source of income and livelihood for rural communities and indigenous peoples in the semiarid regions of northeastern Brazil (Campos et al, 2019).…”

“…The sampling that took place between 2017-2018 was called year II. The duration of the experiments was based on studies that indicated the germination of this species, with a variation between 15 days (Moura et al, 2019), 72 days (Caixeta, 2018;Porto et al, 2018), and 211 to 284 days (Aroucha and Aroucha, 2013). Total precipitation during the study months in year I was 299.9 mm and 459.34 mm during the months of year II (Pereira et al, 2021).…”

“…82, e264348 3/10 Palm seeding in tropical dry forest Delibes, 2013). Defleshed fruits will have greater survival due to the lower odor that makes it difficult for vertebrates to find them (Jansen et al, 2010), and consequently greater germination (Porto et al, 2018). The results of this study can allow the understanding of appropriate management strategies for the recruitment of licuri, which can be used in future restoration projects in arid regions.…”