Viability of stored seeds of Himatanthus sucuuba Wood by tetrazolium test

ABSTRACT

Himatanthus sucuuba is an Amazonian tree species of importance in traditional medicine because of its therapeutic properties. Estimates of seed viability are still scarce, so it is necessary to develop rapid tests to evaluate seed quality. The objectives of this work were to adapt the methodology for the tetrazolium test and to verify the viability of the stored seeds of Himatanthus sucuuba by comparing the results from the germination and tetrazolium test. For preconditioning, the seeds were immersed in distilled water for the periods of 4, 8, 12 and 14 hours at 25°C. Subsequently, seed tissue staining was performed by immersion in a tetrazolium solution of 0.025%, 0.075% and 0.100% for 90 minutes at 40°C in the dark conditions, and the seeds were evaluated into six classes. At the same time, germination tests were conducted in a BOD chamber at 30°C, establishing criteria for viability and vigor evaluation. The experimental design was completely randomized, and the comparison of means performed by Tukey test at 5% significance. The tetrazolium test at a concentration of 0.075% at 40°C for 90 minutes was efficient to evaluate the viability and vigor of Himatanthus sucuuba seeds. The comparison between germination (78%) and tetrazolium test (70%) showed no significant difference, concluding that seeds stored for 14 months remained viable

Keywords:
Seed quality; Medicinal species; Germination