Ex situ CONSERVATION OF SEEDS OF FOUR ANDEAN SPECIES OF Pasiflora

Abstract

Colombia has endemic species of Passiflora L. mainly located in the Andean region, where they face a high risk of extinction
due to deforestation, fragmentation and destruction of habitats. The studies of seed ecophysiology are important for
processes of selection and ex situ conservation of native species, in addition to being an input for the improvement of
tropical fruit trees. In this regard, the Botanical Garden of Bogota “José Celestino Mutis” has a live collection of 32 species
of Pasiflora, of which seven species are represented in the ex situ germplasm seed bank. The objective was to evaluate
the germinative response under different treatments and the tolerance from the drying of eight pre-accessions of four
species of Pasiflora of rural areas of Bogotá Distrito Capital (P. tripartia; P. tarminiana, P. pinnatistipula and P. mixta).
Several tests were performed of moisture content, desiccation tolerance and germination, evaluating the percentage of
germination (PG), and the Average Time of Germination (ATG). An effect of the treatments on PG and
ATG was not observed, nor endogenous latency in the seeds, and it was determined that although a
treatment can reach a smaller ATG, it not always obtains a higher PG. Six pre-accessions showed
a clear orthodox behavior (seeds that survive desiccation), being useful sources of seed for the
ex situ conservation of these species.