Variation on embryo development of Ilex paraguariensis Seeds

Abstract

Ilex paraguariensis St.Hil., popularly named erva-mate in Brazil, is an indigenous species of the Araucaria Forest with a large geographic distribution and a high social and economic importance. The seeds of this species exhibits physiologic and seed coat  impermeability dormancies and needs stratification on sand in order to break them. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of genotype -environment interaction on embryo development of erva-mate seeds formed under different environmental conditions. The fruits were collected in Cascavel, Toledo and Campo Mourão, State of Paraná, and in Soledade, State of Rio Grande do Sul, in February 2003. The experiment was carried out on Forest Seed Laboratory of Embrapa Florestas, in a completely randomized design with four replications of 25 seeds each. It was concluded that the seeds from State of Paraná provenances presented more developed embryos than those ones from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, probably as a response of the higher mean annual temperature and the amount of sunlight.