THE EFFECTS OF A SHELTER UPON SEEDING OF TWO FOREST TREE SPECIES IN A RIPARIAN AREA

The study compared the effects of a plastic bottle as a shelter on direct spot seeding of two forest species. Four water soaked seeds of Enterolobium contortisiliquum Morong. (timburi) or Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub. (canafistula) were spot seeded in autumn, winter or spring in a riparian area located on the western portion of Parana state, Brazil. Calculation of population variables included accumulative percentage of live germinants 30 days after seeding (emergency), percentage of live seedlings 90 days after seeding (survival), percentage of seeded spots per plot (formed by 15 seeding spots) with at least one live seedling (population density), as well as seedling height and diameter. Autumn seeding resulted in 45 % of live timburi germinants 30 days after seeding, while survival of canafistula germinants (average of 75.5%) was independent of seeding season. The use of shelter on the seeding spot increased emergency of germinants from the two species when seeded in the autumn (12%) or in the winter (10%), and increased survival of the spring seeding and population density of autumn or spring seeding seasons with canafistula.