Effect of fruit stripping on emergence and initial growth of Euterpe edulis Martius

Abstract

Pulp extraction from the juçara palm fruits (Euterpe edulis Martius) is considered a form of sustainable
use, as it does not cause the plant to die and the remaining seeds from the processing
can be used for the production of seedlings. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate
the emergence and initial growth of juçara palm from two types of propagules: whole fruits and
seeds after the mechanical extraction of the pulp. The treatments were compared using mean
germination values and growth analyzes. The pulp removal from the fruits contributed to the
growth of the seedlings of the juçara palm. According to the highest leaf area, number of leaves
and leaf dry mass, which showed a significant difference at the level of 5% of probability. The
results showed that the fruit stripping favors the initial growth of juçara.