Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) is an ornamental plant with great commercial value, usually cultivated as vase plant. It is propagated by seed or clump division. Seed germination is not uniform and plant growth is slow, leading to delayed plant production. The research was carried out at the Federal University of Lavras and aimed to compare three scarification methods for a rapid and uniform germination of R. excelsa seeds. The effect of mechanical scarification (with sandpaper in one or both sides of the seed), thermal scarification (immersion in 100ºC water over 1, 2 or 4 minutes) and chemical scarification (immersion in 98% sulfuric, during 1, 2 or 4 minutes)was evaluated on seed germination, using the parameters germination percentage and the index of emergence speed (IES). The results showed that germination percentage and the index of emergence speed were not affected by seed scarification.
Rhapis excelsa; Palmae; speed of germination Index
