ABSTRACT Propagation of palm trees is mainly by seeds and, in general, germination is uneven and slow, caused by several factors, such as temperature and light. We aimed to evaluate the effect of different temperature conditions and light regimes in the germination of Areca vestiaria and Areca triandra seeds. Two experiments were carried. The experimental design was completely randomized with a 5 × 2 factorial (temperature × light), with four replicates per treatment for the species A. vestiaria and five replications for A. triandra, with 25 e 20 seeds, respectively. The temperatures tested were 25, 30, 35, 20-30 and 25-35 ºC and the light regimes were presence and absence of light. The germination percentage and germination speed index were evaluated. Analysis of variance was performed using the F Test, with subsequent comparison of the means using the Tukey test (α = 0.05). For both species, there were significant differences between the temperature conditions for the studied characteristics. It was concluded that temperatures of 25 ºC, 30 ºC, 25-35 ºC and 20-30 ºC are indicated for germination of seeds of the species Areca vestiaria and, 25-35 ºC for Areca triandra, being the seeds classified as neutral photoblastics.

RESUMO A composição do substrato é fator de grande influência na qualidade das mudas. Objetivou-se avaliar o potencial de biossólido como componente de substrato, no crescimento inicial de mudas de Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com seis tratamentos, cinco repetições e sete plantas por parcela. Os tratamentos foram constituídos por substratos resultantes da mistura de terra de subsolo (TS) e biossólido (BIO) em diferentes proporções: 100 % TS; 20 % BIO + 80 % TS; 40 % BIO + 60 % TS; 60 % BIO + 40 % TS; 80 % BIO + 20 % TS; 100 % BIO. Avaliaram-se as características morfológicas e de qualidade das mudas. Houve incremento até a proporção de 60 % de biossólido para altura da parte aérea, diâmetro do coleto, número de folhas, área foliar, clorofila total, comprimento da raiz, massa seca da parte aérea e índice de qualidade de Dickson. Para a massa seca da raiz e total, o incremento se deu até a proporção de 40 % de biossólido. Portanto, o uso do biossólido nas proporções de 40 e 60 % na composição do substrato mostrou-se eficiente por promover satisfatório crescimento inicial (todas as mudas apresentaram altura entre 30 e 40 cm e diâmetro do coleto de 5 mm) e qualidade das mudas avaliadas.

ABSTRACT Substrate composition is a major factor influencing seedling quality. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of biosolid as a substrate component in the initial growth of Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman seedlings. The experimental design was completely randomized, with six treatments, five replicates and seven plants per plot. The treatments consisted of substrates resulting from the mixture of subsoil (SS) and biosolid (BIO) at different proportions: 100 % SS; 20 % BIO + 80 % SS; 40 % BIO + 60 % SS; 60 % BIO + 40 % SS; 80 % BIO + 20 % SS; 100 % BIO. The seedling quality and morphological characteristics were evaluated. There was an increase up to the proportion of 60 % of biosolid for shoot height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, total chlorophyll content, root length, shoot dry matter and Dickson’s quality index. For the root and total dry matter, increases occurred up to the proportion of 40 % of biosolid. Therefore, the use of biosolid in the proportions of 40 and 60 % in the substrate composition proved to be efficient, as they promoted a satisfactory initial growth (all seedlings presented shoot height between 30 and 40 cm and stem diameter of 5 mm) and quality of the evaluated seedlings.