Sexual propagation of Tectona grandis L., testing different methods of scarification and substrates

Abstract

Tectona grandis is one of the world's commercially important timber-producing species and is propagated on a large scale primarily by seed, therefore understanding seed biology is important for the production of quality seedlings. Viability, dormancy and other factors contribute to low seed germination in teak, therefore, to contribute to sexual propagation strategies of Tectona grandis L., seed germination was evaluated under two scarification methods and three types of substrate, in the Buenavista, Chaguarpamba canton, Loja province. The scarification methods were: seed without scarification, seeds submerged in running water for 24 hours, seeds submerged in hot water for 5 minutes; and three types of substrates: soil under the canopy where the trees grow, soil + sand + rice husk, in a 3:1:2, and 1:1:1 ratio. After 60 days of evaluation, it was recorded that T0 presented 70 % germination, followed by T1 with 67 %, starting at 10 days and stabilizing at 35 days; T0 and T1 were the treatments in which the best results were obtained for the average height of the seedlings, with 3.2 cm and 3.1 cm, respectively, and the number of leaves per seedling with five leaves. The scarification methods and types of substrates did not influence seed germination, however, they show the feasibility of the technique for the massive propagation of the species.