Seed germination and vigor of inga laurina (SW.) Willd. Submitted to fractioning

Inga laurina (SW.) Willd. It is a species of woody habit, belonging to the Fabaceae family, whose seeds are polyembryonic therefore have the potential to regenerate new roots and even whole plants, even if part of its mass is removed. Thus the objective was to evaluate the effects of different forms of fractioning of I. laurina seeds and their influence on the germination process. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Paraíba, in a completely randomized experimental design. The treatments consisted of the following forms of fractioning: control - T0 (intact seeds), division into 1/4 of the embryo opposite the hilum (T1), fractionation in 2/4 of the embryo including the hilum (T2), division into 3/4 of the embryo including the hilum (T3), division into 3/4 of the embryo opposite the hilum (T4), fractionation in 2/4 of the embryo opposite the hilum (T5) and longitudinal splitting of the embryo (T6) . In assessing the effect of the treatments, it was determined: water content, percentage of germination, first count of germination, speed index and dry mass of seedlings. According to the data of seed germination in treatments T0, T2 and T3 the highest percentages were obtained. Regarding the first count there was the highest germination percentages in the treatment T2, for the germination speed index in the treatment T5 occurred the highest values. Thus it is concluded that the seeds Inga laurina can be separated into 3/4 of the embryo including the hilum without harming their physiological quality.