Woody Plant Medium optimizes in vitro germination and development of Calycophyllum spruceanum

Climate change and biodiversity loss pose critical threats to ecosystems, making reforestation with native species an attractive mitigation strategy. However, seedling production systems need to be optimized. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different culture media and concentrations on the germination and in vitro morphological development of Calycophyllum spruceanum. A completely randomized design with five treatments was used: 100% Murashige and Skoog (MS), 50% MS, 100% Woody Plant Medium (WPM), 50% WPM, and a control treatment (agar), with seven replicates per treatment. Germination parameters were evaluated for 21 days, and morphological development at 70 days. The main results showed that WPM and agar obtained the highest germination percentages (73.33 and 75.24%, respectively) and germination rate (2.02 and 2.32 seeds per day, respectively), while WPM stood out in terms of final germination time. In morphological development, WPM recorded the highest values for number of leaves (8.18), nodes (5.25), plant height (16.83 cm), and fresh and dry biomass (147.27 and 16.07 mg), compared to the other treatments. In addition, principal component analysis showed that WPM was associated with germination and development variables, with significant correlations. In conclusion, the WPM medium optimized germination and promoted the development of healthy and homogeneous seedlings, positioning it as an efficient alternative for propagation, ecological restoration, and native species conservation programs.