Emergência e crescimento inicial de plântulas de Archontophoenix cunninghamiana H. Wendl. & Drude provenientes de sementes de diferentes plantas matrizes

Abstract

Genetic diversity is a key factor in studies of plant breeding, thus the objective of this study was to evaluate genotypes of Archontophoenix cunninghamiana for germination and seed vigor in order to guide the selection of elite plants. Mature fruits were harvested from ten plants headquarters in Monte Alegre do Sul-SP, in which was assessed the weight and size. In seeds, these parameters were also evaluated in addition to water content, germination and vigor through the index of emergency speed, seedlings diameter and shoot length and dry weight of seedlings. The experimental design was completely randomized and the comparison between means was performed by Turkey test (P0.05). The plants produced seeds with different physical and physiological characteristics, and it allows the identifcation and selection of elite plants producing seeds.