BIOSPECKLE STUDIES CARRIED ON HANDROANTHUS HEPTAPHYLLUS SEEDS SUBMITTED TO ACCELERATED AGING

摘要

Handroanthus heptaphyllus is a very important species for economical and ornamental purposes (botany synonymy tabebuia heptaphylla), as well as for its medicinal value. Belonging to the bignoniaceae botanical family, its multiplication is carried solely by seeds. Forest dispersion elements, i.e., the seeds, deserve a deep understanding of their physiological performance. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of the biospeckle method in testing seed viability. The quantification of the optical interference phenomenon called biospeckle was expressed through the moment of inertia (mi). The equipment employed in the experimental setup included a 632nm red diode laser of 10mw, a digital movie camera as well as a personal computer. Seeds were submitted to accelerated aging (42°C and 100% of relative humidity for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours) and forwarded for biospeckle evaluation and germination tests. It was concluded that a viability reduction of h. Heptaphyllus seeds as generated by accelerated aging needs more study to be detected by the biospeckle test. Thus, the biospeckle phenomenon gives support to a technique that has been developed and presented as a possible tool to assess the germination potential of h. Heptaphyllus seeds.