Morphometric characterization of fruits and seeds and the effect of the temperature on germination of Parkia pendula (Willd.) Benth. ex Walp

Parkia pendula (Willd.) Benth. ex Walp., \ue9 uma esp\ue9cie arb\uf3rea, caracter\uedstica dos est\ue1dios iniciais da sucess\ue3o, de ocorr\ueancia natural no Brasil. Pertence \ue0 fam\uedlia Fabaceae, com grande potencial na recupera\ue7\ue3o de \ue1reas degradadas. O presente trabalho foi conduzido no Centro de Ci\ueancias Agr\ue1rias da Universidade Federal de Alagoas, objetivando a caracteriza\ue7\ue3o morfom\ue9trica de frutos e sementes dessa esp\ue9cie, bem como identificar a melhor temperatura para uso em testes de germina\ue7\ue3o. O fruto \ue9 do tipo legume, deiscente, polisp\ue9rmico, contendo em m\ue9dia 16 sementes por unidade. Estas apresentam formato elipsoidal, embri\ue3o axial, com 10,1 mm de comprimento, 4,9 mm de largura por 3,1mm de espessura. As temperaturas de 25 e 30oC proporcionaram as maiores porcentagem e velocidade de germina\ue7\ue3o, enquanto que a temperatura de 15oC e acima de 35\ubaC influenciaram negativamente a germinabilidade das sementes.Parkia pendula (Willd.) Benth. ex Walp. is a tree species, characteristic of the initial phases of succession, of natural occurrence in Brazil. It belongs to the Mimosaceae family, with great potential in the recovery of degraded areas. The present work aims to characterize fruits and seeds morphometrically as well to identify the best temperature for use in germination test. The fruit is a type of legume, dehiscent, polispermic, with 16 seeds, approximately, per unit. The seeds present ellipsoidal format, axial embryo, with 10,1 mm of length, 4,9 mm of width and 3,1 mm of thickness. The temperatures of 25\ubaC and 30\ubaC provided them larger germinability, while the temperature of 15\ubaC and above 35\ubaC influenced these characteristics negatively