Effects Of Moisture Content On Germination Of Seeds Of Hancornia Speciosa Gom. (apocynaceae)

Seeds of Hancornia speciosa germinated best at a temperature of 20-30 °C. The viability of the seeds during storage was short and the best storage conditions for viability entailed keeping the seeds in polyethylene bags. Seed viability was maintained only when the seeds were stored at a moisture content above 30%; storage conditions which allowed dehydration resulted in a rapid loss of viability (the seeds showed recalcitrant behaviour).Low temperature during storage did not improve longevity. A relationship between germination and moisture content was established, but when the moisture content fell below 25% there was a drastic reduction of germination. After 9 weeks of storage, even at high moisture content, seeds lost viability.Loss of seed viability during seed dehydration was associated with increased leakage of electrolytes and organic solutes, and reduced tetrazolium staining during subsequent imbibition. © 1992 Annals of Botany Company.6911

Constituintes das sementes de Copaifera officinalis L. Constituents from Copaifera officinalis L. seeds

O gênero Copaifera L. é um dos mais importantes economicamente na Região Amazônica devido, principalmente, à produção dos óleos de copaíba, oléo-resinas com diversas propriedades farmacológicas confirmadas. Apesar disso, os estudos fitoquímicos com as sementes das árvores do gênero Copaifera L.são raros. Copaifera officinalis foi a primeira espécie do gênero Copaifera a ser descrita. Este trabalho descreve a composição dos extratos obtidos em hexano e em acetato de etila das sementes de C. officinalis. No extrato obtido em hexano, a análise por cromatografia em fase gasosa utilizando padrões e através de espectrometria de massas permitiu a identificação de: esqualeno, tetradecano, hexadecano, campesterol, estigmasterol e beta-sitosterol; os ácidos graxos hexadecanóico, 9-octadecenóico e octadecanóico (majoritários); e decanóico, eicosanóico, docosanóico e tetracosanóico (minoritários). Cumarina foi isolada do extrato em acetato de etila e identificada por técnicas de RMN.<br>Copaifera L. is one of the most economically important plant genera in the Amazon Region, since it exudes a resin-oil named copaiba oil possessing several confirmed pharmacological properties. In spite of that, phytochemical studies of the seeds from this genus are rare. Copaifera officinalis L. was the first species in the genus Copaifera to be described. This paper describes the chemical composition of the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of the seeds from this species. In the hexane extract, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses enabled us to identify squalene, tetradecane, hexadecane, campesterol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol; hexadecanoic, 9-octadecenoic and octadecanoic acids (major substances); as well as decanoic, eicosanoic, docosanoic and tetracosanoic (minor substances) acids. Coumarin was detected in the ethyl acetate extract, isolated and identified by NMR