Seeds emerged in the Devonian period, carrying within them the evolutionary development that revolutionized humanity, giving plants an evolutionary advantage mainly due to their intrinsic characteristics: they are specialized casings that protect, supply and transport through time and from space the embryos.Recalcitrant seeds are a group of plant seeds that are intolerant to dehydration and cannot be stored under traditional seeds of banking conditions.They have high moisture content, high respiration rates, and a short shelf life [1].Many trees, especially native fruit trees, also support complex food webs, providing habitats for a wide variety of wildlife species.Furthermore, when native trees are reintroduced into deforested areas, they contribute to carbon sequestration, mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing significant amounts of CO2.Cobalt-60 irradiation has been explored as a means of improving seed longevity and storage characteristics.Moderate doses of irradiation have been found to improve the shelf life of seeds by reducing fungal and bacterial contamination, inhibiting sprouting and delaying aging processes [2,3].In this work,Protium heptaphyllum seeds were exposed to low doses of gamma radiation from a Cobalt 60 source, type Gammecell-220,in order to study the effects of radiation stimulation on germination. Five treatments with different radiation doses were applied as follows: 0; 12.5; 25.0; 50.0; 75.0 to 100.0 Gy.They were evaluated to identify the occurrence of germination.

References[1] Walters,C.,et al Orthodox and recalcitrant seeds.Seeds Springer, NY.[2] Farooq, M.,et al.Seed gamma irradiation enhances shelf life of high oil [3] Brychkova,G.,et al.Gamma-irradiation as an effective tool in seed storage and crop breeding. Frontiers Plant Sci