Abstract
The intense environmental degradation in tropical regions suitable for agriculture has decreased native forest populations of plants with important fruits and medicinal properties. Alibertia edulis is a native tree from the Brazilian Cerrado. Knowledge about the effects of drying and storage on the physiological behavior of its seeds may aid in its sustainable exploitation and conservation. The goal of the present study was to determine which fruit ripening stage results in A. edulis seeds with higher tolerance to desiccation, and to investigate the effectiveness of polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced osmotic stress in combination with abscisic acid (ABA) in increasing seed desiccation tolerance during storage. Seeds were dried in activated silica gel (fast) or under ambient conditions (slow). Seeds originating from mid-ripe or fully ripe fruits exhibited better physiological performance than those obtained from green fruits. Slow drying resulted in seeds with high physiological potential. Seeds may be stored for up to 180 days without losing viability when treated with -0.73 MPa PEG without ABA.
Highlights
The Brazilian Cerrado occupies approximately 22% of the national territory, includes the sources of the three largest hydrographic basins in South America, and is acknowledged as the savanna with the highest biodiversity in the world (MMA 2016)
Seeds originating from green, mid-ripe, and ripe fruits took less time to reach 5% water content when subjected to fast drying than to slow drying (Fig. 1)
Normal seedlings increased with fruit ripening, being 70% for seeds originating from green fruits, 75% for seeds originating from ripe fruits, and 78% from mid-ripe fruits (Fig. 2c)
Summary
The Brazilian Cerrado occupies approximately 22% of the national territory, includes the sources of the three largest hydrographic basins in South America, and is acknowledged as the savanna with the highest biodiversity in the world (MMA 2016). Knowledge about the physiological characteristics of native plant species of the Cerrado is essential for the adequate management, and the preservation of this biome. Fruits of several species are consumed by local populations and have high potential for use, including export, because of their characteristic colors and flavors and high nutritional value (Pereira and Pasqualeto 2011). Its flowering season is from October to December, and its fruits ripen from December to February (Lorenzi 2002). It is economically important, there is little information about its sustainable management. Knowledge of the ideal season to harvest fruits of A. edulis for seed propagation could increase the collection of seeds with more uniform germination, and higher seedling production
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