Caracterização morfométrica de frutos e sementes, germinação e produção de mudas de Aechmea constantinii ((MEZ) L. B. Sm., 1970) e Canistrum alagoanum (Siqueira Filho & Leme, 2002)

Abstract

The economical potential and the environmental benefits that the bromeliad can provide through your production they are enormous. However, they are scarce in the literature works with your seeds, hindering the conduction of germination tests, vigor, or even the interpretation of these, and the adoption of appropriate practices of cultivation. In that way, this work had as objectives; to characterize the morfometria of fruits and seeds, to describe the phases of the post-seminal development, to study the germination of the seeds in function of different temperatures and light qualities, and to test organic substrata in the production of seedlings of Aechmea constantinii ((Mez) L. B. Sm., 1970) and Canistrum alagoanum (Siqueira Filho & Leme, 2002), endemic bromeliad of the Atlantic forest of the northeast Brazilian oriental. The study was accomplished in the Center of Agrarian Sciences of the Federal University of Alagoas using seeds recently picked in the Serra da Saudinha, belonging to the sugar-alcohol plantsCachoeira S.A. in the period of December of 2008 to March of 2009. The physical characterization was accomplished by the length, width and thickness of 60 fruits and of 150 seeds and the morphologic description done through longitudinal and traverse cuts where the external and internal characteristics were observed. In the powder-seminal study, the seeds were sowed in paper filter being registered, daily, the phases of the growth of the seedlings. For the effect of different light qualities and temperatures in the germination, the seeds were incubated in cameras of germination type B.O.D, regulated in the constant temperatures 15 ºC, 25 ºC, 35 ºC, 40 ºC and 45 ºC and alternate 20-30 ºC for A. constantinii and in the temperatures 15 ºC, 25 ºC, 35 ºC, 40 ºC and 45 ºC, for C. alagoanum. The observations were made daily, for 20 days, under light of green safety. The germination of the seeds was evaluated by the percentage and index of germination speed, considering the protrusion of the primary root as germination criterion. In the production of seedlings, the used substrata were: soil, soil + sugar-cane bagasse, soil + solid sugar cane residue, soil + litter, soil + caprine manure, sand + caprine manure, sand + solid sugar cane residue and litter + coir dust, all in the proportion 1:1. The experimental arrangement used in the rehearsals led at laboratory it was it completely randomized with four repetitions of 25 seeds and for the rehearsal of production of seedlings the experimental arrangement was used in blocks randomized, with four repetitions. The fruits of both species are originated from inferior ovaries, they are polispermic and indehiscence, of the type tricarpel and trilocular, with on average 40 seeds in for fruit of C. alagoanum and average of 73 seeds for fruit of A. constantinii. The germination is of the type epígea and the cryptocotylar seedlings. Your seeds did germinate when exposed the light far-red ratio under different temperatures. With that it can be inferred that the seeds of A. constantinii and C. alagoanum can they accumulate not if in the soil of the forest taking the formation of a bank passing or transitory of seeds. The substrata composed of soil + caprine manure and soil + litter can be recommended for production of seedlings of A. constantinii and of C. alagoanum, respectively.