With the objective of identifying the desiccation tolerance of Euterpe espiritosantensis seeds, two lots of fruits were picked in the collection of palm trees of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (Ubatuba, State of São Paulo) and transported in impermeable packing to Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas/UNESP Botucatu (State of São Paulo), where they were shelled. The seeds were submitted to drying in silica gel, starting from the non-dehydrated control (51.4% and 46.6% of initial water content), taking samples at each 12 or 24 hours. The effects of dehydration were evaluated by means of germination test, percentage and speed of embryo protrusion, botton, plumule, and seedlings length. Seed dry matter and water content were also evaluated. It was concluded that the seeds of E. espiritosantensis are recalcitrant, presenting higher initial percentage of germination (90.0% to 87.5%) when not dehydrated (51.4% to 46.6% of water content). Water contents lower than 40.7%-51.4% reduced the vigour and germination rates. All seeds died when the water contents were lower than 13.4%-15.8%.
Palmae; recalcitrant seeds; drying