RESUMO A avaliação da viabilidade de sementes de T. aurea é realizada por meio do teste de germinação, demorando 21 dias, o que dificulta a obtenção de informações rápidas sobre a viabilidade de suas sementes. Nesse sentido, a utilização do teste de tetrazólio como método de avaliação seria adequado por proporcionar informações com maior agilidade e confiável para várias espécies. Diante do exposto, objetivou-se adequar a metodologia do teste de tetrazólio para avaliar a viabilidade de sementes de T. aurea. Inicialmente, realizou-se a curva de embebição para determinar o período adequado de hidratação das sementes e o teste de germinação, tanto para avaliar a qualidade inicial, quanto para fins comparativos com os resultados do teste de tetrazólio. Para a instalação deste, as sementes foram hidratas por 24 horas, posteriormente, o tegumento foi removido e as sementes imersas em soluções de tetrazólio. As concentrações utilizadas foram de 0,05; 0,075 e 0,1% por três períodos de coloração 2, 4 e 6 horas, a 35 e 40 °C, em ausência de luz. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 3 + 1 (três concentrações da solução de tetrazólio x três períodos de coloração + uma testemunha = teste de germinação), com quatro repetições de 25 sementes. O teste de tetrazólio mostrou-se adequado para avaliar a viabilidade de sementes de T. aurea utilizando a concentração de 0,05%, por quatro horas, a 40 °C.

ABSTRACT The viability of T. aurea seeds is evaluated through the germination test, taking 21 days, which makes it difficult to obtain quick information about the viability of its seeds. In this context, using the tetrazolium test as an evaluation method would be appropriate because it provides faster and more reliable information for several species. In view of the above, the objective of this study was to adapt the tetrazolium test methodology to evaluate the viability of T. aurea seeds. Initially, the imbibition curve was constructed to determine the appropriate hydration period for the seeds and the germination test was conducted, both for evaluating the initial quality and for comparison with the tetrazolium test results. For the tetrazolium test, the seeds were hydrated for 24 hours, then their coats were removed and the seeds were immersed in tetrazolium solutions. The concentrations used were 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1% for three staining periods 2, 4 and 6 hours, at 35 and 40 °C, in the absence of light. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 x 3 + 1 factorial scheme (three concentrations of tetrazolium solution x three staining periods + one control = germination test) with four replicates of 25 seeds. Tetrazolium test was adequate to evaluate the viability of T. aurea seeds using the concentration of 0.05% for four hours at 40 °C.

Abstract Catingueira (Poincianella pyramidalis Tul. L. P. Queiroz) is an endemic species of the Caatinga, with great economic potential. Research on the development of this species under conditions of water restriction, common in the Northeastern semi-arid region, is still scarce. This study evaluated the effects of water restriction on the morphological and biochemical characteristics of catingueira seedlings subjected to water restriction. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design, with five treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of periods of water restriction (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 days without irrigation). The characters evaluated were shoot height, leaf diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, total dry mass, ratio between shoot height and dry mass, Dickson quality index, chlorophylls a and b content, total soluble sugars and free proline. Periods of water restriction longer than six days caused damage to the seedlings development, with reduced growth and quality.