Morphometric, reproductive and germination characteristics of Swietenia humilis Zucc. germplasm from Guerrero State

Abstract

Swietenia humilis is a tropical hardwood species threatened by habitat fragmentation due to deforestation and changes in land use. Therefore, it is essential to characterize the germplasm of natural populations to define conservation, propagation and reforestation strategies. The morphometric and reproductive characteristics of fruits, as well as the viability and germination capacity of seeds of S. humilis trees from natural stands from several sites in the state of Guerrero, Mexico: Zacapalco, Buenavista, Santa Fe Tepetlapa, Cieneguillas, Tuxpan and Arcelia were analyzed. At each site, fruit and seed size and weight, number and proportion of developed and undeveloped seeds, viability and germination capacity were characterized. A Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance and a comparison of means were performed at a significance level a=0.05. Fruit and seed characteristics varied among the sites evaluated. Cieneguillas presented fruits of smaller size, weight and number of seeds. Tuxpan had the highest number of seeds but a high proportion of undeveloped seeds. Santa Fe presented the highest number of developed seeds, although the heaviest, most viable, vigorous and with the highest germination capacity were those of Zacapalco. S. humilis trees in the natural stands analyzed in the state of Guerrero produce fruits and seeds that differ in their morphometric and reproductive characteristics, as well as in their germination capacity.