Physiological response of Luffa aegyptiaca seeds subjected to water deficit and heat

Abstract

Sponge gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca) is a plant widely used in folk medicine, mainly in Northeast Brazil. It is propagated by seeds and can be influenced by biotic factors such as temperature and water deficit. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effect of water deficit and heat stress on the seed quality of L. aegyptiaca. The experiment was performed at the Seed Analysis Laboratory of the Federal University of Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil. The statistical design was completely randomized in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme, with five water potentials (0.0, -0.2, -0.4, - 0.8, and -1.2 MPa) and four temperatures (20, 30, 35, and alternating between 20-35°C), with four replications of 50 seeds. L. aegyptiaca was tolerant to high temperatures and water deficit during the germination phase and initial growth of seedlings. The highest germination percentage of L. aegyptiaca seeds was observed at a temperature of 35°C and water potential of -0.4 MPa.