SEED MORPHOMETRY AND GERMINATION OF Aechmea costantinii (Mez) L. B. Sm. (BROMELIACEAE)

• Main Authors: PETRÚCIO ALEXANDRE FONSECA RIOS, JOAO CORREIA ARAÚJO NETO, VILMA MARQUES FERREIRA, MARIA INAJAL RODRIGUES DA SILVA DAS NEVES
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido 2016-01-01
• Series: Revista Caatinga
• Online Access: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=237144625010

The potential economic and environmental benefits brought by bromeliads production are significant. It is noteworthy that the high degree of degradation of some ecosystems as the Atlantic forest involve reduction of these species. This factor has been worsened by the elevated degree of endemism of these plants, e.g. Aechmea costantinii (Mez) L. B. Sm., which is a high ornamental potential bromeliad but understudied. Thus, the present research aimed to characterize physical and morphological features of A. costantinii fruit and seeds, describing the different stages of post - seminal development, as well as evaluating seed germination behavior with respect to temperature and light. For this purpose, we used fruit and seeds freshly harvested from an Atlantic Forest fragment, located in the city of Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil. Tests were carried out under a completely randomized design, in a 6x4 factorial scheme (temperature x light) with four replications of 25 seeds. The polyspermic fruit are of tricarpellate/triloculate type and originated from inferior ovary, containing an average of 73 elliptical and mucilaginous seeds with basal embryo. The germination is epigeal - type and occurs in a great intensity and high speed at 35 °C, regardless light presence or quality.