Effect of different scarification methods on the emergence of fresh seeds from Samanea saman

Abstract

With the objective of evaluating the effect of different scarification alternatives on the germination of fresh seeds from Samanea saman, a study was conducted under natural field conditions on a Fluvisol soil, during the second quarter of the year (April-June). A randomized block design with four replications was used and the treatments were: T0 -untreated seed, T1 - immersion in boiling water for 5 minutes, T2 - immersion in boiling water during 10 minutes, T3 -immersion in boiling water for 15 minutes, T4 - immersion in water at room temperature for 24 hours, T5 - immersion in water at room temperature during 48 hours and T6 - immersion in water at room temperature during 72 hours. Treatments T3 and T4, without significantly differing from each other, showed the highest effect on seed emergence, with values higher than 67%. On the other hand, germination rate was higher between 6 and 20 days after planting, which shows the possibility of using both treatments to break the initial dormancy of the seeds from this species. It is concluded that the best treatments were the immersion of seeds in boiling water during 15 minutes and the immersion in water at room temperature for 24 hours, for which their utilization in S. saman seeds is recommended.