Ocorrência natural e aspectos de interesse agronômico de Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taubert (Fabaceae) no estado da Bahia: base para a produção da própolis vermelha

Abstract

Beekeeping may have positive social, economical, and environmental impacts for a large number of family farmers in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Propolis is one of the products with highest profitability and aggregate income. There are several types of propolis related to the plant and geographic origins, such as the red propolis produced in northeastern Brazil, which stands out with a high market value due to its biological properties. The resin used to produce this propolis comes from Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (Fabaceae), whose occurrence and distribution in Bahia are still poorly known. The objective of the present study was to identify the area of natural occurrence of this species along the coast of Bahia and to assess the influence of temperature on the germination of its seeds, in order to improve the production of red propolis in the state. We recorded D. ecastaphyllum throughout the coastline of Bahia, which reveals the potential of the state for the production of red propolis. The seeds of this plant showed a marked triphasic germination pattern. Change from phase I to phase II occured when the seeds reached humidity between 37% and 43%. Phase II began 24 h after imbibition, and the duration of this phase was shorter at 33 ºC. Phase III began on the third day after seed incubation at 33 ºC and on the fifth day after seed incubation at 25 ºC. The average germination time was directly related to temperature up to 33 ºC.