Germination and effect of african mahogany seeds under different temperatures

Abstract

African mahogany is a tree species highly valued by industry because its high quality wood has great economic potential both for the domestic market and for the foreign market. Despite the high valuation, the studies and research on the species are scarce, being extremely important to deepen its knowledge. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different temperatures on the germination and vigor of African mahogany seeds. The experimental design was a completely randomized design, in a 4x5 factorial scheme, with four seed lots and five temperature regimes (20, 25, 30, 35°C constant and 20-30°C alternating), with four replications of twenty five seeds per treatment. Temperatures of 25 and 30°C are favorable to the germination and vigor of African mahogany seeds. Temperatures of 20 and 35ºC constant and 20-30ºC alternating are harmful to the germination process, compromising the physiological performance of the seeds. At temperatures favorable to germination, the seeds of lots 1 and 3 showed higher physiological quality than the others.

Keywords:
Khaya grandifoliola; Physiological quality; Forest seeds; Seed analysis