Métodos de superação de dormência da semente de nogueira-pecã Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Abstract

Pecan culture is very important for the economy of a large number of towns in Southern Brazil. However, problems such as low percentage of germination and irregularity in seedling emergence hamper the process of propagation, resulting from the influence of the dormancy phenomenon. The objective of this study was to evaluate different techniques to overcome the dormancy of pecan seeds and the subsequent development of seedlings testing four different methods. In the control treatments, the seeds remained in a protected environment with no treatment. In the method with scarification, seeds were sanded in the apical part at the time of sowing and stratification. Then, seeds were accommodated in boxes with moist sand and subsequently kept at 4 °C. Additionally, scarification and stratification methods were tested simultaneously. Treatments consisted of 10 repetitions of three seeds each. After each period (30, 60 and 90 days), seeds were sown in trays containing Mecplant® substrate and maintained at 25 °C ± 2 °C, photoperiod of 12 h. Shoot height, stem diameter, number of leaves, total emergency, emergency speed index, dry biomass, leaf area and length of the taproot were evaluated. The best development of pecan seedlings and their emergence were observed in the stratification treatment for 90 days as well as when scarification was used in combination with stratification for 90 days.