Germination of <i>Heteropteris tomentosa</i> A. Juss seeds under different temperatures and storage periods

Abstract

The aim of this study was to verify the optimum temperature for germination and the effect of storage time on the emergence of Heteropteris tomentosa. The experimental design was made in randomized blocks with three replications of 100 seeds and the following temperatures: a) 5°C; b) 10°C; c) 15°C; d) 20°C; e) 25°C; f) 30°C; g) 35°C; h) 40°C and j) 45°C. The other experiment was made in a completely randomized design with five replications and the following treatments: a) freshly collected intact seeds; b) freshly collected wingless seeds c) intact seeds with 15 months of storage, d) wingless seeds  with 15 months storage. Germination occurred only at temperatures of 25°C, 30°C and 35°C. The optimum temperature for seed germination was 30°C. Wingless H. tomentosa seeds stored for 15 months showed faster and concentrated emergence within the first eight days after sowing.