Saline stress and temperatures on germination and vigor of Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. Seeds

Francisco E. C. B. Pereira,Salvador B. Torres,Selma F. de Brito,Cibele C. Martins,Sebastião Medeiros Filho

doi:10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v20n7p649-653

Abstract

ABSTRACT The knowledge concerning the physiology of germination in saline areas may contribute to the development of more efficient cultural practices and adequate choice of planting areas. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of saline and temperature stress on germination and vigor of Piptadenia moniliformis (a species known in Brazil as "catanduva") seeds. The treatments were distributed according to a completely randomized design in accordance with a 3 x 6 factorial arrangement (temperature x osmotic potential), with four replicates of 25 seeds each. The seeds were put to germinate at constant temperatures of 25, 30, and 35 °C on paper towel moistened in distilled water (0.0) and NaCl solutions at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 MPa. The results were evaluated in terms of germination percentage and germination speed index, seedling (root and shoot) length, and total dry matter. P. moniliformis seeds were able to germinate under temperatures of 25 and 30 °C and tolerate osmotic potentials of up to -0.6 MPa; from this point on, there is progressive decrease in the physiological quality of seedlings.

Highlights

P. moniliformis stands out among the trees native to the Caatinga and is known by the popular names of ‘catanduva’, ‘catanduba’, ‘rama-de-bezerro’ and ‘angico-de-bezerro’ (Lorenzi, 2002; Azerêdo et al, 2010)
This study aimed to evaluate the influence of saline stress at different temperatures on the germination and vigor of P. moniliformis seeds
Germination percentage decreased as the osmotic potential decreased and the highest germination percentages (91, 93 and 89%) were obtained when the seeds were germinated in substrate moistened with deionized water (0.0 MPa) at temperatures of 25, 30 and 35 oC, respectively (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

P. moniliformis stands out among the trees native to the Caatinga and is known by the popular names of ‘catanduva’, ‘catanduba’, ‘rama-de-bezerro’ and ‘angico-de-bezerro’ (Lorenzi, 2002; Azerêdo et al, 2010) According to these authors, this species occurs from the state of Maranhão until Bahia and is more frequent in the region of the São Francisco River Valley. According to Góis et al (2008), the reduction in germinating power, compared with the control treatment, obtained through seeding in substrate moistened with water, serves as an indicator of the salinity tolerance index of the species In this method, the ability to germinate indicates the tolerance of the plants to salts in subsequent development stages (Oliveira et al, 2007)

Objectives

Methods

Results