Rapid, uniform seed germination followed by prompt seedling emergence are highly desirable characteristics in seedling production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of seed origin, frequency with which hydration water was changed and thermal shocks on germination and production of tucumã-do-amazonas (Astrocaryum aculeatum) seedlings. Fruits were obtained from three locations in the state of Amazonas: Manaus market, and in Maués and Tarumã-açú. After cleaning and drying the endocarps and removing them, the seeds were soaked for 15 days, changing the water once or twice a day. After soaking, the following treatments were applied: control without immersion in H2O, immersion for 5 minutes in H2O at 50ºC or 10ºC; immersion for 5 minutes in H2O at 50ºC, followed by a further 5 minutes at 10ºC; immersion for 5 minutes in H2O at 10ºC, followed by a further 5 minutes at 50ºC. Treatments were evaluated by pre-germination, seedling emergence in the nursery and seedling production. The experiment was conducted in totally randomized design with treatments arranged in a factorial 3 x 2 x 5 (places of origin x water exchange frequency x temperature treatments) in four replications of five seeds per plot. Germination performance was not affected by the water exchange frequency, nor by exposure to thermal shocks. The origin of tucumã-do-amazonas has effect over the germination and seedling production.
Astrocaryum aculeatum; germination; soaking
