Tolerance of jenipapo seeds to cryoprotectants and thawing after immersion in liquid nitrogen

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two cryoprotectants followed by thawing on the physiological potential of Genipa americana L. seeds. Two experiments testing 12 treatments were conducted, one for each cryoprotectant, both in a factorial scheme of 6 × 2 (cryoprotectant concentrations × thawing methods). We tested 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% for dimethyl sulfoxide, and 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 M for sucrose. The thawing methods were fast (38 °C for 30 min) and slow (25 °C for 4 h). The seeds were immersed in the cryoprotectant solution for 3 h, stored for 120 h, and then thawed. The seeds were then sown in substrate (sand and vermiculite, 1:1). Emergence percentage along with speed index, length, fresh and dry matter mass of seedlings were evaluated. Dimethyl sulfoxide and sucrose can be used as cryoprotectants in G. americana seeds. Thawing should be slow when treating seeds with dimethyl sulfoxide.