Variación en el tamaño y germinación de semillas de la especie Machaerium millei Standl en el Sur del Ecuador.

Abstract

Abstract: Biological studies in many plant species in our country are still scarce and it is necessary to generate information to identify guidelines for future processes of restoration and conservation of woody plants. The present research had as objective to study the intraspecific variability of the size and germination seeds of Machaerium millei. Seeds of five individuals were collected, the length, width and weight of the seeds were measured and three germinative treatments were performed for each individual. Significant variation in seed size was found between individuals ranging from 59 to 66 mm in length x 14 to 17 mm in width, with a weight of 0.39 x 0.43 g. The percentages and germination speed varied between treatments and between individuals. The highest germination in most individuals occurred in seeds that were not exposed to any germination treatment. This means that it is not necessary to apply pregerminative treatments on the seeds to achieve greater germination. The variation in size and germination found in M. millei allows the identification of the species' broad response to current and future environmental conditions in its natural habitat.