Storage of recalcitrant seeds of Eugenia brasiliensis Lam. under control of water availability

Abstract

The reduction in humidity and temperature makes it possible to prolong the storage of seeds, except for those sensitive to desiccation (recalcitrant), which therefore cannot be included in ex situ conservation banks. One way to control the metabolic activity and the movement of water into or out of the seed is to use osmotically active chemicals, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). In this study, the effect of storage of recalcitrant seeds of Eugenia brasiliensis with water movement control in osmotic medium was evaluated. The results showed that the maintenance of these seeds at water potentials between-1 and-2 MPa allowed increasing the capacity for conserving viability in storage. They also demonstrated that the expansion of this conservation, unlike what occurs with the reduction of temperature, is not necessarily associated with the reduction of metabolic rates.