Rapid results of peach palm seed viability: a methodological proposition for the tetrazolium test

Andreza Cerioni Belniaki,Elisa Serra Negra Vieira,Maristela Panobianco,Thomas Bruno Michelon

doi:10.1590/2317-1545v42234727

Andreza Cerioni Belniaki, Elisa Serra Negra Vieira + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1545v42234727

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: Prior to commercialization, seeds of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) have to undergo the germination test, whose well-established methodology takes 120 days. Due to their recalcitrant behavior, the seeds have short longevity when stored (around 30-45 days), which makes it challenging to select the most viable ones for marketing. This study aimed to determine a methodology for the tetrazolium test to be carried out in peach palm seeds, in order to fast deliver results that can be correlated to the germination test. Different forms of pre-conditioning, preparation, and staining were investigated via moisture content, germination, and tetrazolium tests, so as to define the vital parts of the seed and sort out the viability classes. For the seed lot under study, the tetrazolium test delivered results supported by the germination test when the following procedures were adopted: pre-conditioning by water submersion (20 °C for 24 h), longitudinal cut adjacent to the embryo, and half-seed immersion (embryo + endosperm) in a 1.0% tetrazolium solution for 4 h at 30 °C. Having fulfilled these criteria, it became possible to separate the peach palm seeds into two classes (viable or non-viable).

Highlights

Brazil is the biggest world producer and consumer and places second in exportation of hearts of palms
The germination test was conducted in eight replications of 25 seeds, which were sown at a depth equivalent to their diameter
The initial moisture content of the peach palm seeds was 44.9%, which confirms the recalcitrant behavior of the species (Bovi et al, 2004; Barbedo, 2018)

Summary

Introduction

Brazil is the biggest world producer and consumer and places second in exportation of hearts of palms. The sustainability of the peach palm culture encompasses the development of research for the reuse of residues generated by its processing. Agro-industrial by-products have been employed as a substrate for mushrooms (Sales-Campos et al, 2011) and seedlings (Sá et al, 2020), for manufacturing wood biocomposites (Haro et al, 2018) and wooden panels (Quinaya et al, 2016; Pinheiro et al, 2017), for fabricating biodegradable packaging (Silva et al, 2017; Melo-Neto et al, 2018), as a complement in animal nutrition (Schmidt et al, 2010; Santos-Cabral et al, 2015), and as a soil conditioner (Bellettini et al, 2017). The fruit has been used for flour production (Martínez-Girón et al, 2017), and the oil has applications in cosmetology (Mujica et al, 2017)

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