The catingueira (Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul.) is a shrubby species of widespread occurrence in semiarid northeastern and endemic savanna biome. The irregularity and poor distribution of rainfall in the region to undertake seed production, to the point that most fruit has seeds badly formed or non-viable for germination. Thus, this study investigated the behavior of Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul. seeds put into different packaging and storage ambient. The fruits were collected in São João do Carriri city - PB and taken to the Seed Analysis Laboratory, Universidade Federal da Paraíba where they were processed and the seeds stored in plastic bottles and glass, and kept under the following conditions: non controlled laboratory (27 ± 3 ºC and 64 ± 20% RH), freezer (-18 ºC) and dry chamber (19 ± 5 ºC and 74 ± 20% RH) for 225 days. Initially and each 45 days the seeds were submitted to determination of moisture content and the following evaluates: germination first and second count, germination speed index, length and seedling dry mass. It was observed that the viability and seed moisture content is maintained in all ambient and packaging studied in this paper, seed germination when analyzed by the first count test is best preserved when its are wrapped in plastic in a dry chamber and freezer ambient until the period of 135 days.
germination; vigor; packaging; ambient; catingueira
