Fabaceae species: physiological behavior of desiccation tolerance during the germination process

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of seed, as the sensitivity of desiccation tolerance after being subjected to drying, and observe their effects on the germination of seeds of Tamboril and Mororo. It was determined the moisture content of the seeds for the greenhouse method at 105 ± 3 °C for 24 hours. To determine the standard curve was determined by soaking, as to characterize the loss of desiccation tolerance, seeds were dried for 72 hours over silica gel using a soaking treatments: 0, 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours. Then the seeds were placed in humid chambers and replaced in germination conditions for the resumption of growth analysis thus seeds that germinated and continued its growth were considered tolerant to desiccation, the others were considered hard or killed. The experimental design was completely randomized and the data were submitted to analysis of variance and polynomial regression. It was observed that the initial seed moisture content was 7.33% and 19% for Tamboril and Mororo, respectively. During drying the seed weight of both species showed sharp drop in the first 12 hours. It was found that drying did not cause serious damage to the seed monkfish, in which there was no loss of desiccation tolerance at any stage of germination. Already the seeds of Mororo in periods of 72 and 96 hours, the seeds did not resume growth, highlighting the loss of desiccation tolerance will be shown.