Teor de água e armazenamento de sementes na produção de mudas de buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.)

Abstract

The buriti is a large palm, belonging to the Arecaceae family, found in various humid environments, such as buritizais, swamps and paths, which act in the dispersion and breaking of seed dormancy. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effect of the water content of the seeds during the storage period, on the formation of buriti seedlings. The fruits were collected in eight matrices, on the banks of the Uruçuí Preto River, in Povoado Uruçuí, in the municipality of Uruçuí - PI. The damaged fruits were discarded and then separated into two groups: the first batch with seeds at room temperature and the second, immersion in water for 24 hours. Soon after, the water content of the seeds was determined. A completely randomized design was used, in a 2x4 factorial scheme, with 4 replications of 25 seeds. The treatments consisted of two water contents (40%) and four storage times (0, 30, 60 and 90 days). At 130 days after sowing the seeds, emergence, height, diameter, shoot and root dry matter, and the seedlings' Dickson quality index were evaluated. The seeds showed slow emergence unevenly, in which the percentage of seeds with water content greater than 40% was maintained at 90 days. Humidity conditions and storage time affect macaúba seeds in different ways. A water content of less than 40% is the most suitable for seed storage