SUPERAÇÃO DA DORMÊNCIA EM SEMENTES DE DUAS ESPÉCIES DE Erythrina

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different pre-treatments on the germination of the seeds as well as the emergence velocity of the seedlings of Erythrina velutina and Erythrina falcata. The treatments utilized for the evaluation of germination were intact seeds (control); mechanical scarification with sandpaper number 120 in the opposite side of the embryo; and immersion in water at room temperature for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. Four replications of 25 seeds each were used per treatment and the experimental design was completely randomized, and the comparison among the averages was made using the Tukey test at 5% of probability. The percentage of germination, the emergence velocity index and the relative frequency of germination were calculated 31 days after sowing. For both species, better percentages of germination and values of emergence velocity were obtained with the mechanical scarification of seeds. That treatment was efficient in the uniformization and anticipation of the germination process. However, the tests done with seed immersion in water at room temperature for up to 48 hours do not increase the percentage of germination of E. velutina and E. falcata seeds.