Quina seeds Cryopreservation (Strychnos pseudoquina A. St. Hil)

Oscar Neymar

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of storage in liquid nitrogen at -196°C on Strychnos pseudoquina A. St. Hil. seeds with moisture contents of either 6 or 7%wb subjected to quick thawing (in a water bath at 37°C for 10 minutes) and slow thawing (at room temperature (26°C±2°C) for 2 hours) and then stored for 2, 4, and 6 months. The germination percentage in cryopreserved quina seeds decreased by approximately 12.4% compared to non-cryopreserved seeds (95 to 83.22%), regardless of the moisture content. In cryopreserved seeds with 7% moisture content, the germination percentage of seeds thawed quickly versus slowly differed only for those seeds stored for 2 months; the seeds subjected to fast thawing showed lower germination percentages than those subjected to slow thawing. Quina seed cryopreservation may be viable for seed conservation as germination remained above 80% in all samples.