Resumen

TENORIO-GALINDO, Gabriela; RODRIGUEZ-TREJO, Dante A.  y  LOPEZ-RIOS, Georgina. Effect of seed size and color on germination of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol (Cecropiaceae). Agrociencia [online]. 2008, vol.42, n.5, pp.585-593. ISSN 2521-9766.

The effect of seed size and color on germination was studied in Cecropia obusifolia Bertol. Tested were two seed sizes: small (1.3 mm long) and large (1.7 mm long); three seed coat colors: black, light brown and dark brown; two day and nighttime temperatures in a controlled environment chamber: 30 °C during the day and 25 °C at night and 25 °C during the day and 20 °C at night. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, with blocks nested within the factor temperature. Color and size had a significant (p<0.05) effect on germinative capacity, as did the interactions temperature x color and size x color, and the triple interaction temperature x size x color. The number of large seeds that germinated was almost double that of small seeds. Dark brown seeds germinated well under both temperature regimes. At the higher temperatures, the highest rate of germination was that of large light brown seeds; at the lower temperatures, more large dark brown seeds germinated. Thus, the varying seed sizes and colors allow them to germinate in different environmental conditions.

Palabras llave : Chancarro; seed ecophysiology; guarumbo.

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