Effect of maturation stage and temperature on the germination of sabal mauritiiformis seeds

Abstract

 Sabal mauritiiformis (H. Karst.) Griseb. ex. H. Wendl. is a palm tree native from Central America and South America showing high ornamental value. Its commercial propagation is done sexual. There are few studies on seed germination under the influence of various factors such as maturation stage and temperature. This work to evaluate the behavior of seed germination of S. mauritiiformis, utilizing fruits of different maturation stages under different temperatures. The experi­ment was carried out in a completely randomized on a 3 x 5 factorial design (three maturation stages and five temperature conditions), with four replicates of 25 seeds each. Brownish, black and greenish fruits were depulped and their germinative capacity was evaluated under temperatures of 25 ºC, 30 ºC, 35 ºC, 20-30 ºC e 25-35 ºC, and photoperiod of 16L:8D, using BOD incubation chambers with controlled temperature and photoperiod. The seeds were sowed on vermiculite. The results show that the temperature of 30 ºC was the most indicated for the germination of Sabal mauritiiformis seeds coming from both the brownish, black and greenish fruits.