Temperature requirements for seed germination of Pereskia aculeata and Pereskia grandifolia

• The effect of the temperature on the germination of seeds of Pereskia aculeata and Pereskia grandifolia was evaluated.
• Percentage germination and relative germination frequency were calculated for seeds of P. aculeata and P. grandifolia.
• The germination performance in function of the germination temperature could be described by the Weibull distribution model.
• The results obtained in this study may be useful for future propagation and management programs of both edible species.

Pereskia aculeata and Pereskia grandifolia have been studied widely due to their high nutritional and therapeutic values. However, little is known about the biological requirements of their seeds for the various germination factors. Thus, this experiment aimed to evaluate the thermal effects on the germination of these species at the temperatures of 24 °C, 27 °C, 30 °C, 33 °C and 36 °C. After verification of the existence of differences in the performance of germination, a non-linear regression was carried out, relating the germination to temperature and identifying its point of maximum efficiency. We found that the lowest synchronization indexes of germination were observed close to 30 °C. The best germination response of the P. aculeata and P. grandifolia was observed at 30 °C and 33 °C, respectively, with greater germination strength and fewer days to attain 63.21% of germinations. The results obtained from the germination of P. aculeata and P. grandifolia can be described by the Weindull distribution model with three parameters, as proposed by Carneiro and Guedes (1992).

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