This work's objective was to point the best conditions for seed storage of C. pyramidalis (catingueira), aiming to establish protocols that can serve as a basis for other species of the Brazilian semi-arid northeast. Seeds of catingueira were stored for 0, 3, 6 and 9 months in laboratory environments and refrigerators in Kraft paper packaging bags and polyethylene bags. Every period of storage, seeds were assessed for Percentage of germination (G%), the Average Time of germination (AT), the Average Speed of germination (AS), the Speed germination (SG) and Content of water (CW). A high rate of seed germination in the different treatments that have been proposed was observed in the third (89.25%), sixth (88.5%) and ninth (91%) months of storage, being such indexes even closest or slightly higher than those verified in the collected seeds (90%). The storage favored significantly improved IVG seed rates, for higher indexes to those seen in collected seeds (11.24 third month; 9.79 sixth month; 10.29 ninth month and 7.70 collected seeds). The results suggest that catingueira seeds displayed an orthodox behavior as the tolerance for drying and storage, and the possibility of maintaining viable seeds in different environments at low cost can be a good strategy for the supply of seeds at any time of year.
Longevity; Viability and Germination
