ABSTRACT
"Ingá", a brazilian species commonly used in urban forestation and in agroforestry systems, produces seeds highly sensitive to desiccation. This sensitivity can be influenced by environmental conditions during seed formation. In this study we analyzed the degree of sensitivity to desiccation of ingá embryos obtained from different origins and environmental conditions. Embryos were obtained from mature fruits of trees in São Paulo and Minas Gerais and were analyzed for both water and dry matter content at shedding, as well as the degree of their sensitivity to desiccation. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the sensitivity to desiccation of seeds is not totally pre-established for the seeds of a species and may vary according to region in which they were obtained. It was also found that the conditions of the environment, especially air temperature and water availability can influence the maturation cycle, the degree of maturity of the embryos at shedding, the acquisition of desiccation tolerance and the final quality of the embryos.
Degree-days; Forest seeds; Recalcitrant seeds
