Water memory in moringa seeds (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

Abstract

Moringa is a plant native to India, with a wide distribution worldwide, ranging from Asia to Africa, with more occurrence in regions with hot and dry climates, such as the Brazilian semiarid region. Through cycles of discontinuous hydration and dehydration, seeds may acquire a high survival rate under these conditions. The study was conducted at the Seed Laboratory of the State University of Maranhão in the municipality of Balsas, Maranhão. The experimental design was completely randomized, with a 3 × 3 + 1 factorial arrangement, 3 soaking times (10, 36 and 52 hours), 3 hydration cycles (1, 2 and 3) and an additional treatment (control), with 4 replicates of 25 seeds each. After the seeds were subjected to hydration and dehydration cycles, an emergence test was performed, and the following characteristics were analyzed: emergence, first emergence count, emergence speed index, shoot length, root length, shoot mass and dry mass. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and regression with a 5% probability level, and principal component analysis and response surface analysis were performed. It is assumed that the species Moringa oleifera Lam. Water memory has a hydration time of up to 10 hours with a maximum of up to 2 hydration cycles, and dehydration positively influenced the improvement in most agronomic variables compared with those of the control.