Germination of Psidium friedrichsthalianum (O. Berg) Nied. seeds under different temperature and storage conditions

Abstract: Psidium friedrichsthalianum is a species whose fruit can be used to make juices, jellies/jams and sweets, and its seedlings serve as rootstocks with resistance to Meloidogyne spp. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of seeds of this species at different germination temperatures, and to verify the effects of different moisture levels on their storage in two experiments. In the first, six germination temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 ºC) were evaluated, and in the second, seeds with different moisture levels (15.4, 9.8, 9.0, 8.4, and 8.2%) were stored in sealed containers at 20 °C for 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Seed germination was favored by temperatures of 20 ºC and 25 ºC, reaching 93% and 87%, respectively, along with the highest germination speed indexes (2.582% day1 and 2.568% day-1) and shortest germination times (37.9 and 36.9 days). Temperatures of 30 °C and 35 °C maintained the seeds quiescent, while 40 °C was lethal. In storage, the seeds tolerated desiccation to 8.2% moisture content and could be stored in sealed containers at 20 ºC for 12 months, with germination higher than 70%.