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Seed germination responses of Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) to environmental factors
Author(s) -
MEIADO MARCOS VINICIUS,
DE ALBUQUERQUE LARISSA SIMÕES CORRÊA,
ROCHA EMERSON ANTÔNIO,
ROJASARÉCHIGA MARIANA,
LEAL INARA ROBERTA
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
plant species biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1442-1984
pISSN - 0913-557X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-1984.2010.00274.x
Subject(s) - germination , biology , cereus , light intensity , darkness , horticulture , botany , bacillus cereus , genetics , physics , bacteria , optics
In the present study, we assessed the seed germination responses of Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) to environmental factors. The seeds were collected from an area within Caatinga, a semiarid vegetation area located in north‐eastern Brazil. We determined the optimal temperature for germination of C. jamacaru seeds and evaluated the effect of temperature, light intensity, light quality, water and saline stress on seed germination. Cereus jamacaru was classified as a positive photoblastic species. Maximum germination (95.8 ± 2.6%) was found under white light, and seed germination was not observed in darkness in any of the temperature, water or saline stress treatments. The optimum temperature for seed germination was 30°C because this temperature favored most of the parameters evaluated. Seed germinability responded positively to a wide range of temperatures, but was affected neither by light intensity nor by light quality. A reduction in water availability and an increase in saline concentration affected germinability and promoted slower, unsynchronized germination. The positive response of C. jamacaru seed germination to the environmental factors investigated may account for the abundant occurrence and wide distribution of the species in the Caatinga area.