Abstract

CASTILLO-QUIROZ, D. et al. Chemical and biological treatments for stimulating germination in Nolina cespitifera Trel. seeds. Polibotánica [online]. 2018, n.45, pp.147-156. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.45.11.

Cortadillo (Nolina cespitifera Trel. Asparagaceae) is a non-timber forest resource with economic and social importance for the inhabitants of rural areas in semi-arid areas of northeastern Mexico. This plant, produces a fiber that is used for making brooms. The seeds of this species are characterized by exogenous and endogenous dormancy, making it difficult to pass water, which inhibits the germination process. The objective was to evaluate the response of the use of chemical and biological germination treatments that promote the increase in the germination of seeds of N. cespitifera. The tests performed followed the protocols of the International Seed Testing Association. The study was conducted under laboratory conditions, using five treatments: T1 = control, T2 = water imbibition during 8 h at an initial temperature of 93°C, T3 = immersion in Trichoderma conidial suspension (Prevence®) 3x109 spores during ml for 1 min, T = 4 sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) at 3% (V/V) during 8 min and T5 = concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Four replicates of 100 seeds per treatment were used. The seeds were sown in plastic containers with Peat-Moss substrate; they were placed on a germination chamber at a temperature of 26±2°C and 80% of relative humidity for 25 days. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design and we analyzed the germination percentage and percentage of abnormal seedling under ANOVA. The results showed significant differences between treatments, the best treatment was T4 with 49.33% germination and T3 had the lowest percentage with 25.75%. It was observed that the best treatment to break the latency of N. cespitifera was sodium hypochlorite which also acts as a fungicide.

Keywords : Germplasm; dormancy; cortadillo; arid land; Northeast of Mexico.

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