Temperature and substrate effects on the germination of Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. Ex Tul.

Abstract

Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. Ex Tul. is a tropical arboreal species used in naval and civil construction, and in the recovery of degraded areas. The substrate used and temperature can interfere directly in the germination of this species. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of different substrates and temperature regimes on the seed germination potential and initial growth of C. ferrea seedlings. The experiment was conducted at the Plant Propagation Laboratory of the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil. A completely randomized design was used in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme with five substrates (paper roll, paper, sand, and vermiculite) and four temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35°C). The evaluated characteristics were first count of germination, germination, germination speed index, dry mass, and seedling length. Results showed that C. ferrea seeds could germinate under different temperatures and substrate conditions. The sand substrate and the temperature of 30°C are excellent for evaluating the physiological quality of the seeds.

Analysis of seed vigor and germination of Toona ciliata M. Roem. var. australis

“…Ex Tul. (Melo et al, 2017), Euterpe precatoria Mart. (Costa et al, 2018), and several others Brazilian native species (Brancalion et al, 2010).…”