Abstract

Studies show that most species of palm trees present seed dormancy. This characteristic hinders the production of seedlings, due to the long period for germination and the unevenness of the seedlings. The specie Syagrus coronata, despite being widely used as food and economic resources, presents also seed dormancy, which hinders its propagation. Thus, this work aimed at evaluating the germination of S. coronata seeds using different methods of dormancy breaking and also, under different qualities of light and temperature. To do so, the seed endocarps were scarified by friction, puncture and complete removal of the endocarp, and the pre-soaking of seeds at different concentrations (50, 100, 200 and 400 mg L^-1) of gibberellic acid (GA₃) and indolebutyric acid (IBA). We also evaluated the effect of germination in seeds exposed to different conditions of light (white, red, far red, blue and dark) and to different temperatures (25, 30, 35 and 20-30 °C). The data show that the act of rubbing the endocarp optimizes the seed germination process. Solutions containing growth regulators in the pre-soaking of seeds have a negative impact on germination. And the absence of light and the constant temperature of 25 °C are the most suitable for germination. The results indicate that S. coronata seeds have physical dormancy, and, despite obtaining greater germination in the dark, they are neutral photoblastic.

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