Germination and development of Amburana cearensis seedlings as influenced by seed weight, light and temperature

ABSTRACT. The objective of this work was to study the seed germination and seedling growth of A. cearensis (Allemão) A. C. Sm. influenced by seed weight and under different temperature and light conditions. Seeds were individually weighed and divided into three weight classes (light, medium and heavy), and each was subjected to germination tests under two light conditions (presence or absence) and six temperature regimes (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 20-30°C). The experiment was established with a completely randomized design in a split-split plot arrangement with four replicates. We determined the first count, final germination percentage and germination speed index. To assess seedling growth, the length and dry mass of the epicotyl and root + hypocotyl axis were also determined. The data were subjected to Tukey’s test (p ≤ 0.05). The optimal conditions for seed germination occurred at a temperature of 30°C, with light and medium seeds showing greater vigour. Temperatures of 35 and 40°C were detrimental to the growth of the species, whereas the best conditions occurred with light and medium seeds at temperatures of 25 and 30°C in the presence of light.