Seed selection of Dimorphandra gardneriana using the tetrazolium test

ABSTRACT ‘Faveira’ (Dimorphandra gardneriana Tul.) is a medicinal plant of great commercial value, primarily due to its ability to produce rutin on a global scale. Furthermore, it serves as a source of raw materials for the extraction of other secondary metabolites. With this, this study aimed to standardize the methodology of the tetrazolium test and evaluate its applicability in estimating the viability of seeds from different parent plants of faveira. The viability and vigor of the seeds were determined using tetrazolium (2, 3, 5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride) in four concentrations (0.025, 0.050, 0.075, and 0.1%) and four immersion periods: 30, 60, 90, and 120 min, with the viability percentage and vigor levels being considered according to the topological staining pattern. Germination and seedling emergence tests were also conducted. The most suitable preparation for D. gardneriana seeds is preconditioning for 78 hours at 25 °C, followed by cutting in the region opposite the embryo. The tetrazolium test efficiently assesses the viability and vigor of D. gardneriana seeds, whose ideal seed color is obtained using a 0.075% tetrazolium solution for 120 min at 40 °C. In 20 parent plants, the seeds from the parent plants 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, and 13 stood out as the most vigorous.