Abstract

Copaifera langsdorffii has been intensely exploited, since it attracts several interests, and is now on the list of endangered species. Due to this risk of extinction, seedling production of this species has important economic and social value. The aim of this study was to evaluate seed germination of C. langsdorffii subjected to different pre-germination treatments for breaking seeddormancy: i) control; ii) immersion in sulfuric acid (98%) for 2 min; iii) immersion in sulfuric acid for 10 min; iv) removal of the seed coat; v) immersion in distilled water for 24 h; and vi) immersion in boiling water at 80°C for 2 minutes. In the period of 34 days after setting up the experiment, there was 70% germination of the seeds subjected to the method of immersion in sulfuric acid (98%) for 10 minutes, 63% of seeds in which the seed coats were removed, and below 27% in the rest. In this context, it may be concluded that the method of immersion in sulfuric acid for 10 min proved to be more effective and advantageous for overcoming dormancy.

Key words: Arboreal species, Copaiba, germination, dormancy.