Germination in seeds of Abrus precatorius L., a species with antileishmanial activity

Abrus precatorius L. has been the subject of research to develop drugs with improved therapeutic profiles for the treatment of infectious diseases such as visceral leishmaniasis, which has very high mortality. Commercial cultivation is necessary to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical industry; however, cultivation can be hampered by the presence of integumentary dormancy in the seeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different pre-germination treatments and different temperatures on germination in seeds of A. precatorius. The experiment was completely randomised in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme corresponding to four methods for breaking dormancy (intact seeds - T1; immersion in sulphuric acid for 30 minutes - T2; immersion in sulphuric acid for 45 minutes - T3; immersion in 20% caustic soda for 60 minutes - T4) and three temperatures during the germination process (25 °C; 30 °C; 35 °C). At 25 °C and 30 °C, chemical scarification with caustic soda results in a lower rate of germination compared to scarification with sulphuric acid, while at 35 °C, germination was higher. The seeds of A. precatorius show higher germination at 30 °C when previously immersed in sulphuric acid for 30 or 45 minutes. This information is important for viable commercial cultivation.