Efeitos do estresse hídrico sobre o desempenho germinativo da semente de faveira (Clitoria fairchildiana R.A. Howard. - Fabaceae) de diferentes tamanhos

Abstract

Clitoria fairchildiana R. Howard, commonly known as faveira, is a widely used tree species in reforestation projects and is also recommended for the recovery of degraded areas, due to the possibility of its use as green manure. However, there are few basic studies to understand its ecological and physiological attributes. Thus, the objective of the present work was to study the influence of seed size and water stress on the seed germination and seedling vigor in faveira. Four repetitions of 25 small, medium, and large seeds were sown in washed and sterilized sand moistened with water to 25, 50, 75, and 100% of its water holding capacity. In accordance with the results, it was concluded that seed germination was not affected by seed size whereas seedling vigor was, since large and medium-sized seeds gave rise to more vigorous seedlings. Water excess reduced total and speed of seed germination whereas lack of water reduced seedling growth.