Chamomile is an annual herbaceous species. Its flowers are used in popular medicine and as a vegetable flavour. It propagates for seeds. The objective of these trials was to evaluate the ideal temperature, packing time on the percentage and germination speed of chamomile. The first trial used seeds from a medicinal vegetable garden from Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. They were treated, packed in paper bags and kept in refrigerate chamber during one, two, three and four years. In germination test it was used 25°C with 10 hours of light and 14 hours of dark. It was evaluated the percentage and germination speed index (GSI) in 8 replicates with 100 seeds each one. The seeds used in the second trial were commercial ones. The tested treatments were: constant temperatures of 10°C and 15°C with 12 hours of photoperiod, and alternated temperatures of 10°C/15°C and 10°C/20°C with 10 hours of photoperiod. The evaluations were made at 7th and 14th days after seeding. The seeds packed until 2 years showed greatest percentage and germination speed index. The temperature of 10°C reduced the germination for 3.3% at 7 DAS. The constant temperature of 10°C and 15°C, and alternated in 10°C/15°C and 10°C/20°C provided germination of the seeds superior to 80% in the end of 14th day.
Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert; conservation; longevity; physiology quality
