PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF NATIVE FOREST SEEDS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON DIRECT SEEDING FOR RESTORATION OF CILIARY FOREST

Knowing the relationship between the physical and physiological characteristics of native forest seeds is essential for the successful recovery of riparian forests. Thus, the work was carried out to analyze the physical and physiological parameters of seeds of native forest species for use in the recovery of riparian forests by direct seeding. Were evaluated the physical quality (water content, mass, the weight of one thousand seeds, and the number of seeds per kilogram), morphometric characteristics (length, width, and thickness), and physiological quality in the laboratory (viability) of Cassia grandis L.f., Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong., Guazuma ulmifolia Lam., and Libidibia ferrea var. leiostachya (Benth.) LPQueiroz. The experiment in the field was implanted in a randomized block design (RBD) with four blocks, testing seeds treated to overcome the four species dormancy. The direct sowing was in 10 planting lines, each composed of 10 pits (30 x 30 x 30 cm), spaced 2.0 x 1.0 m. E. contortisiliquum seeds, despite having the highest values for physical and morphometric characteristics, and having a high percentage of germination, was the species with the lowest percentage of emergence in the field, being below G. ulmifolia, which has seeds of smaller size and weight, and L. ferrea var. leiostachya which, despite having low germination, was the second with the highest percentage of emergence. The study allowed us to observe that there was no direct relationship between the physical and physiological attributes of forest seeds and their ability to emerge.