MECHANICAL TECHNIQUE FOR OVERCOMING DORMANCY IN BARU SEEDS (Dipteryx alata Vog.)

Abstract

Baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) is a species that occurs naturally in the Cerrado biome and is highly versatile in terms of its exploitation methods, with regard to its products and services. This species can be used for food, forage, timber, medicinal and industrial purposes, in addition to contributing to ecological services in the recovery of degraded areas. This study aimed to obtain basic information on the influence of baru seed isolation and the use of a germination chamber on the germination process of the species. This work was developed at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano - Campus Posse. The methodology adopted was the isolation of baru seeds through mechanical scarification with a vise, seed asepsis and sowing in polyethylene trays containing washed sand with a particle size of 2 mm as substrate. The germination process was conducted in a germination chamber at a temperature of 26°C and a photoperiod of 16 hours. Emergence began six days after sowing, with 76.44% of the seeds germinated, and ended on the thirteenth day with 91.05% germination, equivalent to 234 seeds. Thus, the isolation of the seeds and the use of the germination chamber proved to be efficient in overcoming the physical dormancy of the baru seeds due to the integumentary rigidity.