Abstract
ABSTRACT Mimosa bimucronata is a pioneer, easily adapted, fast-growing species used in restoration programs. The objectives of this study were to experimentally compare (1) methods for dormancy breaking; (2) suitable temperature and substrate for germination; and (3) suitable light intensity and substrate volume for seedling production of M. bimucronata. In the first two experiments, the variables percentage of germination, speed of germination and germination mean time were analyzed. In dormancy test, seeds were submitted to ten methods divided into three groups: hot water, sulfuric acid, and control. In the second experiment, effects of five different temperatures and four substrates were evaluated. In the third experiment, morphometric and biomass variables of seedlings were evaluated in two substrate volumes and two light intensities. The most effective method for breaking dormancy was hot water at 80 °C for one minute with post-treatment immersion in water at room temperature for 24 hours. This finding contrasted with the recommended method for dormancy breaking in the Brazilian Rules for Seed Analysis. The most suitable substrates and temperatures for germination were germitest paper at alternating temperatures of 25-35 °C and sand at constant temperature of 30 °C. The most adequate volume of substrate for seedling production was 280 cm3 in both shaded and full sunlight conditions.
Highlights
Natural resources exploitation has been causing intense degradation of forest ecosystems worldwide, stimulating the practice of restoration programs
Germination started at day 2 and the experiment ended at day 12 when germination stabilized
Seeds in control germinated three to five times slower compared to the other treatments
Summary
Natural resources exploitation has been causing intense degradation of forest ecosystems worldwide, stimulating the practice of restoration programs. Climate and soil are potentially limiting factors for forest restoration and presence of early successional species often changes the environment, facilitating the colonization of latersuccessional species (Marcuzzo et al, 2015). Production of viable forest seedlings has grown as an academic and professional activity aimed at helping restoration projects (Oliveira et al, 2014). Mimosa bimucronata (DC.) Kuntze (Fabaceae) is distributed along the Atlantic forest domain in Brazil. It is a selective hygrophilous, invasive species able to colonize poorly drained and rocky soils, being a suitable species for environmental restoration programs. Mimosa bimucronata seeds show physical dormancy caused by seed coat impermeability (Ribas et al, 1986; Brito et al, 2014) resulting from the hardness due to the presence of superficial waxy layer and great quantity of suberin, deposition of lignin on cell base, and presence of fatty acids in intercellular spaces of palisade layer (Fowler and Bianchetti, 2000; Marcos Filho, 2015), which hamper oxygen and water absorption necessary for seed germination
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