Overcoming dormancy in Tachigali micropetala (Ducke) Zarucchi & Pipoly (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) seeds

Superação de dormência em sementes de Tachigali micropetala (Ducke) Zarucchi & Pipoly (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae)

Abstract

The use of forest species for the production of seedlings has been intensified due to the need for recovery of deforested areas and biomass production. However, the domestication of native forest species is restricted due to a lack of studies related to the ecology, physiology, and morphology of its seeds. The species Tachigali micropetala (Ducke) Zarucchi & Pipoly, which belongs to the family Fabaceae, presents tegument dormancy that hinders the entry of water and consequently the germination. The objective of this work was to select the best treatments for breaking dormancy in T. micropetala seeds. The treatments were: control (without pre-germinative treatment), cut in the integument, scarification in sandpaper, immersion in sulfuric acid for 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes and immersion in water at 80 °C for 20 minutes. The sowing was done in germitest paper and the statistical design used was the completely randomized with eight treatments, five replicates of 25 seeds. For the sanity test, the seeds were submitted to two types of treatments: asepsis with 1.5% of sodium hypochlorite and control (seeds without asepsis). Each treatment contained 10 replicates, with 20 seeds each. The results obtained show that the treatments in acid for 15 and 10 minutes and mechanical scarification with sandpaper presented 90.4, 85.6 and 83.2% of germination, respectively, being these the most efficient for overcoming dormancy in T. micropetala seeds.

Keyword:
Forest species; Scarification; Germination; Biometry