Water immersion and one-year storage influence germination of the pyrenes of Copernicia alba Morong, a palm tree from a neotropical wetland

Abstract

Palm seeds are known for displaying dormancy and a thick endocarp that delays germination and embryo growth; but water treatments may accelerate their germination process. Additionally, ex-situ conservation can cause seed viability loss over time. Data on seed dormancy and storage have been neglected for many native palm species in Brazil. We investigated the effect of water treatments and one-year storage on the germination of Copernicia alba Morong, a palm tree from the Brazilian Pantanal wetland. To address our aim, fresh and stored pyrenes were immersed in water (at room temperature for 24, 48, and 72h) and in hot water (~75°C for 5- and 10-min). Fresh pyrenes germinated up to 84% in control, reaching 100% after water immersion for 48 and 72h. In contrast, one-year storage reduced germination by almost 50%, but water immersion slightly increased the germination of stored pyrenes. On the contrary, hot water decreased germination for both fresh and stored pyrenes. Seeds of C. alba may be classified as orthodox seed storage behavior. Taken all together, water treatments at room temperature improved the germination of the pyrenes. In contrast, long-term seed storage and hot-water treatments may jeopardize germination.