Refrigerated storage of Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze seeds

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the appropriate refrigerated storage and modified atmosphere conditions to preserve the viability of Araucaria angustifolia seeds.
Plastic film with different gas permeability (PVC, EVA and D), was used to package the seeds. Each package, was stored at different temperatures (0, 4 and 10° C). Samples were taken every two months, for germination tests at 27° C.
The highest germination values were obtained with EVA film; after 210 to 270 storage days while seeds wrapped with PVC lost their viability after 60 storage days. In all conditions tested, germination was totally lost after 330 days of storage.