Abstract
Acacia farnesiana L. is a species known for its uses in recovery of degraded pastures, animal feeding, medical and fungicide properties. However, it is one of the most problematic invasive species in agriculture, due to the little known dormancy aspects of its seeds that results in the propagation and dispersion to distinct areas and the establishment of the invasive plant. The knowledge on ecophysiological characteristics of invasive species seeds aiming at the dormancy process is important for the comprehension of aggressive regeneration unities, and allows the development of strategies against infestation of new areas and reduction of soil seed banks. The objective of this research was to assess how A. farnesiana seeds overcome dormancy using different temperatures and pre-germinative treatments. The study was conducted in Federal University of Paraiba, using seeds obtained from fruits of ten matrix trees in Paraiba State, Brazil. The completely randomized design was adopted, with treatments arranged in a 3 x 15 factorial scheme representing temperatures and pre-germinative treatments with four replicates. Parameters related to germination percentage, germination and emergency index were assessed, with best results observed in seeds scarified with sandpaper 80 followed by imbibitions of water at environmental temperature (25-30°C) for 24 h. Key words: Germination, invasive species, ecophysiological characteristics, dormancy process.
Highlights
IntroductionSeeds per plant (Camacho et al, 2012), which germinate in river beds and wetter regions of lowlands (Dias et al, 2008)
The best results relative to germination percentage and first count (Table 1) were observed at the seeds scarified with sandpaper no. 80 (T12) at 30°C and scarified with sandpaper no. 80 followed by imbibition for h (T14) at and 30°C
It is noticeable that thermal scarification treatments (T1: immersion water 60°C and T2: immersion water 70°C) implied in lower values of germination of A. farnesiana seeds
Summary
Seeds per plant (Camacho et al, 2012), which germinate in river beds and wetter regions of lowlands (Dias et al, 2008) This species is an important option for recovery of degraded pastures, whilst its fruits can be used for animal feeding (Erkovan et al, 2013) and its leaves can be explored due to its antifungal properties and for phytotherapy medicines production (Kingsley et al, 2014). Tropical and subtropical forestry species frequently have viable seeds that do not germinate even in favorable environmental conditions This is explained by the dormancy process, which evolved as a surveillance mechanism that allows physical and temporal distribution of germination in different environments (Camacho et al, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
