Análise biométrica de frutos e sementes de Sena spectabilis (DC.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby.

Abstract

The biometrics of fruits and seeds prove to be a vital tool for identifying species within the same genus. The objective of this study was to perform the biometric characterization of fruits and seeds of Senna spectabilis (DC.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby, originating from the municipality of Livramento-PB. Wet weight was analyzed for the fruits, and for the seeds, moisture content, weight of a thousand seeds, and the number of seeds per kilogram were recorded. Length, width, and thickness were the dimensions evaluated for both fruits and seeds. The study was conducted at LAEB, affiliated with UFCG. Histograms were defined to analyze the frequency distribution pattern of biometric characteristics. On average, S. spectabilis fruits exhibited a wet weight of 8.549 g, and the seeds had a moisture content of 10.37%. Regarding the weight of a thousand seeds, the average was 3.7211 g, corresponding to approximately 26,873 seeds per kilogram. The fruits had an average length of 200.91 mm, width of 12.455 mm, and thickness of 8.729 mm. For the seeds, the values were 6.8696 mm for average length, 3.9931 mm for width, and 1.7167 mm for thickness. Analyzing the frequency distribution by classes of S. spectabilis fruits, it was observed that their length concentrated between 187.51 and 226.50 mm, with width focusing in the range of 11.75 to 13.57 mm, and thickness concentrated between 8.13 and 9.02 mm. Concerning the evaluation of the frequency distribution by classes of seeds, it was noted that the majority concentrated in the length range of 6.40 to 7.39 mm, with an accumulated frequency of 97% of seeds. Width focused in the range of 3.85 to 4.05 mm, and thickness concentrated between 1.62 and 1.81 mm. Therefore, the generated data provide valuable insights for defining the ecology of the species and contribute to proposing conservation strategies in the context of the Brazilian Semiarid region.