PHOTOBLASTISM AND GERMINATION OF Campomanesia aurea (Myrtaceae) SEEDS

Campomanesia aurea (Myrtaceae) is a native species from the Pampa region. It has edible fruits, ornamental characteristics and ability to recover potential degraded areas. It is naturally propagated by seeds. However, for its most efficient use for seedling production or replanting of vegetation, a basic knowledge about the conditions required for maximum germination is required. The objective of this work is to evaluate the germination of C. aurea seeds and its germinative behavior under different light conditions. Seeds from three collection sites were analyzed as for photoblastism, provenance and maturation by germination test, germination speed index, mean germination time and normal seedling formation. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and compared by Tukey test at 5% probability of error. For the three collection sites, no differences were observed for germination and the MGT of seeds in the absence or presence of light, indicating that it is a neutral photoblastic species. For different collection sites, no differences were observed for germination percentage, but seeds collected in Barao do Triunfo showed higher GSI and normal seedling formation than seeds collected at Morro do Osso and Morro Santana. Such differences may be related to the degree of fruit maturation and seed moisture. Seeds of C. aurea are neutral photoblastic, and present a germination rate higher than 85%.