GERMINA O DE SEMENTES DE FáFIA: INFLUêNCIA DA éPOCA DE COLHEITA, CONDICIONAMENTO TéRMICO E ARMAZENAMENTO

Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen is a popular medicinal specie knolled by “fafia” or “brazilian ginseng”, due to the shape of its roots. Since this specie is wild and there is commercial interest on it, studies about the seeds physiological and physic quality and information related to germination physiology are demanded. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of harvest time, thermic conditioning and storage upon the germinative behavior of fafia. In the first experiment it was evaluated the effect of the seed’s harvest time on germination. It were done four quinzenal seeds harvest (treatments) from the 146 days after the settling in field. The treatments effects was evaluated by the germination percentage (G%) and germination speed index (GSI). In the second study it was evaluated the interaction effect between kind of seed (recently harvested and stored) and thermic conditioning treatments upon the seed germination (T1= distillated water, T2= thermic conditioning in 5oC during 2 days + distillated water and T3= thermic conditioning in 5oC during 5 days + distillated water). It was concluded that the best time to harvest fafia seeds was in the 191 days after the seedling settling in field. The seeds termic conditioning with low temperatures reduced G% and GSI. Though fafia seeds have showed a reduced germination percentage (57%), the same tolerated the storage in the dark on laboratory conditions during two years.