Fruits and seeds biometry and germination of Astrocasia jacobinensis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to biometrically characterize fruits and seeds of Astrocasia jacobinensis. We also aimed to evaluate the germination potential according to the fruit color and to determine the optimal temperature for germination tests. Fruits were harvested from 4 matrices trees in the Environmental Protection Area of “Lago de Pedra do Cavalo”, Bahia, State, Brazil. The fruits were used to install two experimental areas. In the first one we evaluated the germinative behavior according to fruit color using four replicates. The second experiment was used to test the optimal germination temperature, with tests conducted under constant temperatures (15, 25, 30, 35 °C) and alternating temperatures (25-30 and 15-30 °C), using four replicates per treatment. Evaluations for both experiments were performed daily. The fruits presented a mean size of 7.5 mm in length and 9.6 mm in diameter. The seeds were circular with a mean diameter of 3.52 mm. Green fruits have seeds with better germination potential. For future germination tests within this species we recommend a temperature within the range 25 °C to 30 °C.

Keywords

• Forest species
• Phyllantaceae
• Seed germinability