Abstract
Abstract: Psidium friedrichsthalianum is a species whose fruit can be used to make juices, jellies/jams and sweets, and its seedlings serve as rootstocks with resistance to Meloidogyne spp. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of seeds of this species at different germination temperatures, and to verify the effects of different moisture levels on their storage in two experiments. In the first, six germination temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 ºC) were evaluated, and in the second, seeds with different moisture levels (15.4, 9.8, 9.0, 8.4, and 8.2%) were stored in sealed containers at 20 °C for 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Seed germination was favored by temperatures of 20 ºC and 25 ºC, reaching 93% and 87%, respectively, along with the highest germination speed indexes (2.582% day1 and 2.568% day-1) and shortest germination times (37.9 and 36.9 days). Temperatures of 30 °C and 35 °C maintained the seeds quiescent, while 40 °C was lethal. In storage, the seeds tolerated desiccation to 8.2% moisture content and could be stored in sealed containers at 20 ºC for 12 months, with germination higher than 70%.
Highlights
Psidium friedrichsthalianum – Myrtaceae, known as “cas”, in Costa Rica, or “Costa Rican guava”, is a fruit-bearing plant, originating from higher altitude forests and savannas from Honduras to Panama (Fouqué, 1972), which develops naturally from the south of Mexico to the north of SouthAmerica (Lorenzi et al, 2006)
For the species (Rebouças et al, 2008), including seedlings to be used as rootstocks for Psidium guajava L., providing resistance to Meloidogyne enterolobii Yang and Eisenback (Carneiro et al, 2007; Freitas et al, 2014), M. incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood, and M. javanica (Treub) Chitwood (Aristizábal and Piedrahíta, 2013)
Germination of P. friedrichsthalianum seeds was greater than 80% at the temperatures of 15, 20, and 25 oC (Table 1)
Summary
America (Lorenzi et al, 2006). The fruit has a rounded shape, slightly flattened at the poles, with a longitudinal diameter of 35.68 mm, transversal diameter of 42.90 mm, dry matter of 42.19 g, and pulp yield of 94% (Rebouças et al, 2008). It can be used to make juices, jellies/jams, and sweets (Lorenzi et al, 2006). The high number of seeds per fruit (on average, 73) represents a characteristic that facilitates seedling production for the species (Rebouças et al, 2008), including seedlings to be used as rootstocks for Psidium guajava L., providing resistance to Meloidogyne enterolobii Yang and Eisenback (Carneiro et al, 2007; Freitas et al, 2014), M. incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood, and M. javanica (Treub) Chitwood (Aristizábal and Piedrahíta, 2013). A preponderant factor in conservation of seed viability and vigor is moisture content, which implies the need for drying for success in storage (Santos, 2015)
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