This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of the time of sowing and the seedcoat in seedling emergency and production of Trifoliata rootstock. The experiment was carried out in a glasshouse, in Pelotas-RS. Sowing was performed in dibble tubes of 50cm3, containing commercial substrate. Two sowing plates (winter and spring) and three seedcoat treatments (integral tegument, with a hole in the endosperm and without tegument) were studied. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, in a factorial schedule, with four replications and experimental units composed by 42 dibble tubes with one seed each. The rootstocks were considered adequate for the transplant when they reached 15cm height. The speed and final germination percentage of Trifoliata rootstocks were significantly higher in the spring (95.6%) compared to the winter (83.6%). Regardless of the season of the year, the removal of the seedcoat improved the germination (96.9%) compared with the use of seed with integral tegument (84.8%). The period necessary for rootstock formation in dibble tubes was 70 days in the spring and 130 days in the winter.
Poncirus trifoliata; protected environment; citrus; seeds; temperature
