Dessecação e conservação de sementes de tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum G. Mey.)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate viability and vigour of tucumã seeds as a function of moisture content associated, or not, with storage and evaluate viability and vigour depending on diaspore storage under different conditions during ten months. About desiccation tolerance, the tucumã seeds do not show typical behavior of recalcitrant seeds, however, they approached of intermediate type behavior, because desiccation until 9.8% (21.1% for the embryos) of water affected their vigour but not their viability. Storage of tucumã diaspores in polyethylene bags under ambient conditions (25-27° C) was effective for the conservation of moisture content and seed vigor during the period of ten months. The diaspores of tucumã directly exposed to environmental conditions, subject to variation in temperature and humidity, or kept in polyethylene bags at 18ºC, had reduced seed vigour after to the ten months of storage.