Overcoming dormancy in jurubeba seeds (Solanum scuticum M. Nee)

ABSTRACT: Solanum scuticum M. Nee, known as pickled jurubeba, displays significant commercial and ecological interest. Low seed germination rates; however, have comprised an obstacle to this species conservation and commercial viability. In this sense, this study investigated the presence and type of dormancy present in jurubeba seeds sampled from both unripe and ripe fruits. Chemical scarification (H2SO4 for 5, 10, 15 and 20 min), washing under running water (2 and 5 min), washing under running water for 5 minutes plus immersion in a neutral detergent solution for 15 minutes, immersion in detergent solution for 5 min, and the application of gibberellic acid (GA3) at different concentrations (500 and 1,000 ppm), and soaking times (24 and 48 hours) were all tested. Germination rates (%G), germination speed indices (GSI) and average germination times (AGT) were assessed. The GA3 treatment at 500 ppm and 48 hours of soaking resulted in the highest percentage of germinated seeds, of up to 84.5% for seeds from ripe fruits. These findings indicated the presence of physiological dormancy in jurubeba seeds and highlighted the effectiveness of GA3 in promoting the germination of ripe fruit seeds.