Effect of drying and soaking fruits and seeds on germination of macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata [Jacq.] Loddiges ex MART.)

Aurélio   Rubio Neto; Fabiano   Guimarães Silva; Juliana   de Fátima Sales; Edésio   Fialho dos Reis; Marcus Vinícius   Vieira da Silva; Apolyana   Lorraine Souza

Effect of drying and soaking fruits and seeds on germination of macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata [Jacq.] Loddiges ex MART.)

Autores

Aurélio Rubio Neto

Fabiano Guimarães Silva

Juliana de Fátima Sales

Edésio Fialho dos Reis

Marcus Vinícius Vieira da Silva

Apolyana Lorraine Souza

Editor

Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Descripción

This study evaluated mechanisms of the dehydr ation and rehydration of fruits and seeds on the resulting embryo viability of the macaw palm, Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Loddiges ex Mart. Dehydration was performed in a forced-air oven at 37 ± 2°C for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 or 15 days, and after these periods, the embryo viability was evaluated by the tetrazolium test. The effect of hydration on the germination percentage and velocity index was evaluated by the imbibition of seeds with distilled water in a germinator at 30 ± 2°C for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 days. The seeds we re then treated with fungicide and maintained in a Mangelsdorf germinator at 30 ± 2°C. Drying caused a pr ogressive water loss in the fruits and facilitated the extraction of the seeds. Fruits subjected to drying for up to nine days had no loss of vigor; however, after dehydration for 15 days, a loss in seed viability was ob served. Simple linear regression estimated the seed water content based on the fruit water content. Seed imbibition in distilled water favored an increase in dead by fungally contaminated seeds.