Correlation between mass and vigor of Pochota fendleri (Malvaceae) seeds stored in different environments

Resumen

Pochota fendleri is an important native forest species that lacks considerable information in the literature regarding seed behavior during storage. The present study aimed to evaluate and correlate the germination and vigor of two classes of mass stored in different environments for 28 months. A completely randomized design was used with treatments arranged in a factorial scheme of 2x3x4 (2 classes of seeds x 3 environments x 4 storage periods) with four replications. During the storage period of 28 months, seed water content, percent of germination, and germination speed rate were assessed every six months. Large P. fendleri seeds placed in refrigeration presented percentages of at least 80%. P. seeds may stay in refrigeration (10 °C) for up to 28 months, and present high magnitude correlations with percentages of germination and vigor. Moreover, large seeds increase the values of physiological quality variables, and therefore, their use is highly recommended.