Abstract

LOPEZ MEDINA, Segundo Eloy et al. Viability lapse of seeds of Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) "cacao" in conditions of laboratory, La Libertad, Peru. Arnaldoa [online]. 2018, vol.25, n.2, pp.481-488. ISSN 1815-8242.  http://dx.doi.org/http://doi.org/10.22497/arnaldoa.252.25208.

Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) "cacao" is considered as the "food of the gods" for its delicious flavor and its great nutritional contribution of polyphenols, theobromine and genistic acid, contained in their seeds. Peruvian cacao has been ranked as the best in the world in terms of flavor and aroma, which has led to this product to be valued and quoted internationally, bringing as a consequence the mass propagation of commercial varieties, with the intention of satisfying international demand. Given the need to know the period in which their seeds maintain their germination capacity, it was proposed as a research objective to determine the viability lapse of seeds of T. cacao L. "cacao". The plant material (seeds) came from La Merced-Laredo countryside and the experimental phase was carried out in the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Institute of Potato and Andean Crops of the National University of Trujillo. A completely randomized statistical design was applied, with 20 sample units and three repetitions per treatment. The percentage of germination and the viability were determined using reagent 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium, finding on the third day a percentage of germination of 81.7 % and a viability of 80 %. It is concluded that the lapse of viability of seeds of T. cacao L. "cacao" is three days starting from the harvest.

Keywords : viability lapse; seeds; cacao; laboratory.

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