Determining the methodology for testing seed germination of Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake (Myrtaceae)

Abstract

Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake is one of the main eucalyptus species cultivated. However, there are no recommendations for testing its germination pattern. Thus, the objective of this work was to determine the best methodology to conduct seed germination tests for E. urophylla. The study was divided into two steps. In the first, two substrates (on paper and sand) and six temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35ºC, and alternating 20-30ºC, between night and day, respectively) were tested. In the second step, the best substrate was selected based on the first experiment and was tested in two seeds lots and at the six temperatures previously mentioned. Germination, first count, speed index and the average germination time were evaluated. The experiment was in a completely randomized design with four replications and the treatments were arranged in a 2x6 factorial scheme for both steps. When comparing germination between lots, it was observed that lot 1 had a lower performance than lot 2 under extreme temperature conditions. Seed germination tests of E. urophylla should be made at 30 or 35ºC on the paper or sand substrate, with the initial and final counts at four and 10 days after sowing, respectively. Based on this study, more tests should be made with seeds from other lots and populations of E. urophylla to confirm the results.

Keywords

• duração do teste
• espécie florestal
• qualidade fisiológica
• padronização
• viabilidade