Germination and emergence of Astrocaryum aculeatum G. Mey. seeds subjected to desiccation

Abstract

Astrocaryum aculeatum is a palm tree of food and economic importance in the Amazon, but little information is found for its propagation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of A. aculeatum seeds as a function of different moisture contents. The seeds were desiccated in a vacuum oven for different periods (0, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours), which resulted in seeds and embryos with different moisture contents; the resulting seed moisture contents (18.6%, 16.3%, 14.7%, 13.1%, 11.3%, and 9.6%, respectively) were considered treatments. The seeds were divided into two lots: one immediately evaluated, and another evaluated after 30 days of storage, for each seed moisture content. Seed quality was evaluated through germination and seedling emergence in a completely randomized design with four replications, using a split-plot arrangement. A. aculeatum seeds and embryos presented different moisture contents, which decreased from 18.6% to 9.6% in seeds and from 39.1% to 20.9% in embryos after the 96-hour desiccation. Decreases in seed moisture content down to 14.4% (31.0% in embryos) do not affect seed germination and seedling emergence and can be considered the critical moisture content below which seed physiological quality is compromised.