Storage of <i>Campomanesia adamantium</i> (Cambess.) O. Berg Seeds: Influence of Water Content and Environmental Temperature

Abstract

The present w ork evaluated the conservation of Campomanesia adamantium seeds under different conditions. The fruits used in the study were collected from matrices located in the city of Ponta Por &atilde -MS, Brazil. After processing, the seeds were slowly dried to different water content levels and subsequently exposed to various environmental conditions: 25 &deg C ± 2 &deg C, 35% relative humidity (laboratory); 16 &deg C ± 1 &deg C, 40% relative humidity (cold and dry); 8 &deg C ± 1 &deg C, 35% relative humidity (refrigeration); and - 18 &deg C ± 1 &deg C, 42% relative humidity (freezing). Each treatment was conducted for 0 (recently processed seeds, with superficial drying of 40 minutes), 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days. Seed potential was physiologically evaluated based on radicle protrusion, percentage of normal seedlings, seedling length (primary root, shoot and total), and dry mass of the seedlings. The experimental design was a completely randomized factorial scheme with split-split plots (4 temperatures/environments × 5 water content × 7 storage periods). C. adamantium seeds tolerated a reduction in the water content to 15.3% but did not tolerate the storage period, confirming the recalcitrant behavior of the seeds.