Qualidade de sementes florestais de diferentes árvores matrizes de Bixa arborea Huber (urucum do brejo)

Abstract

Forest seeds have great social, economic, and ecological importance, as they are essential resources for species reproduction, contributing to the conservation and maintenance of ecosystem functional dynamics. Therefore, forest seeds used for seedling production and the recovery of degraded areas must originate from mother trees that exhibit superior visual and physiological traits compared to others. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the physical, physiological, and sanitary quality of seeds from different mother trees of Bixa arborea Huber (swamp annatto). The experiments were conducted at the Tissue Culture Laboratory (LCT), Seed Laboratories (LSs), Plant Pathology and Plant Health Laboratory (LFF), Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Laboratory (LCAB), and greenhouse facilities belonging to the Tissue Culture Laboratory (LCT) at the State University of Maranhão, São Luís – MA campus. The experimental design was completely randomized (CRD), with five different mother trees (Luzinete 1, Luzinete 2, Luzinete 3, Luzinete 4, and Maria Colíder) and four replicates, totaling 20 experimental units. Data were subjected to Tukey's test. Among the five mother trees analyzed, Luzinete 1 stood out in terms of physical quality, presenting higher moisture content. Regarding physiological quality, it showed superior shoot length, vigor index I and II, fresh and dry mass of normal seedlings, seedling emergence, emergence speed index, and stem diameter. For sanitary quality, Luzinete 1 had the lowest fungal incidence, with Aspergillus being the most frequently observed fungal genus. Overall, Luzinete 1 exhibited the best physiological performance and is therefore considered the most suitable for forestry purposes.