Abstract
Abstract: Passiflora actinia Hooker is a passion fruit species native to Brazil, typically found in the Atlantic and Araucaria Forests. It has economic relevance (edible fruit) and medicinal value (sedative and anxiolytic properties), in addition to being used for vegetative propagation, as rootstock for other Passiflora species. This study aimed at investigating the occurrence of dormancy in P. actinia seeds, and at evaluating their storage potential. The germination test considered different combinations of temperature and lighting regimes, whereas seed dormancy was assessed using different germination-inducing treatments (tegument cutting, warm water immersion, and gibberellin application). Seed viability during storage was also appraised. The results showed that seed germination should be conducted on paper at the alternating temperature of 20-30 °C, without lighting. Also, newly-harvested seeds presented physical and physiological dormancies. The immersion of seeds in water at 40 °C or 50 °C (for 5 or 10 minutes) proved to be efficient in breaking the physical dormancy. Physiological dormancy, in turn, was successfully interrupted by applying 100 mg. L-1 of gibberellic acid on the substrate paper. The storage of seeds under refrigeration, inside hermetically sealed polyethylene packaging, preserved their physiological quality for up to nine months.
Highlights
Passiflora actinia Hooker, popularly known as yellow passion fruit, is a heliophile plant, native to Brazilian dense ombrophilous forest and mixed forest
The germination test conducted without any promoting treatment revealed that the combination of the alternating temperature of 20-30 oC and absence of light accounted for the highest percentage of normal seedling emergence (Table 1), which reached 60%
A similar result was found for the germination speed index (Table 1), confirming that this treatment promoted the best seed performance
Summary
Passiflora actinia Hooker, popularly known as yellow passion fruit, is a heliophile plant, native to Brazilian dense ombrophilous forest and mixed forest (the Atlantic and Araucaria Forests, respectively). It is typically found in the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul (Cervi et al, 2009), inhabiting both the inner part as well as the edges of the forests, where it grows until its branches reach the highest strata, in order to get direct sunlight (Mondin et al, 2011). Despite its enormous potential, the species has been threatened by the progression of deforestation in native areas. Preserving it in seedbanks is imperative to protect the species and to promote its sexual propagation (Teixeira et al, 2016)
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