Physiological performance of Coccoloba gigantifolia seeds subjected to desiccation and storage

Abstract: Coccoloba gigantifolia is recently described species, with an area of restricted occurrence and threatened with extinction, whose great ornamental potential is due to the size of its leaves and the architecture of the plant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the viability of its seeds under different water contents and storage temperatures, through two experiments. The first one used a completely randomized design (CRD) with six treatments (drying periods: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 days) and four replications. The second experiment used a CRD in a 2 (storage temperatures: 8.0 ± 1.2 and 19.5 ± 0.7 °C) x 3 (storage periods: 1, 2 and 4 months) factorial scheme, in addition to a control treatment (without storage), with four replications. The seeds have a recalcitrant behavior, as they are sensitive to desiccation, with a marked reduction in viability with moisture content below 19.5%. Storage at temperatures of 8.0 and 19.5 °C did not maintain the physiological quality of the seeds, with 25.2% water, and the largest losses were found at a temperature of 8.0 oC.