Fruit and seeds biometry and germination of Psidium cauliflorum Landrum & Sobral

Abstract

The biometric characterization of fruits and seeds, obtaining optimum temperatures and photoperiods for germi­nation and the definition of numbers and counting intervals in the germination tests of Psidium cauliflorum were the objectives of this work. Fruits were obtained from four matrices located in the Environmental Protection Area of Lago de Pedra do Cavalo, in São Gonçalo dos Campos-BA. The following temperatures were tested: 25 °C; 30 °C; and 25-30 °C, in addition to three light conditions: absence of light; 8 h photoperiod; and 12 h photoperiod. One kilogram of fruit contains about 260 fruits and 1.344 seeds. Germination performance was higher at the alternating temperatures of 25-30 °C, in the presence of light (8 h photoperiod). The germination test lasted 77 days, with the first count at 21 days and subsequent counts at 15 day-intervals.