1. [P-179 ] EFFECT FROM NATURAL AGING IN THE VIABILITY OF SEED GERMINATION OF COPAIBA (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf - FABACEAE) - Plant production essential oil containing medicinal propertiesEFFECT FROM NATURAL AGING IN THE VIABILITY OF SEED GERMINATION OF COPAIBA (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf - FABACEAE) - Plant production essential oil containing medicinal properties Arno Rieder 1, Polyana Rafaela Ramos 2. 1 University of Mato Grosso-UNEMAT, Av. São João, s/n, Bairro Cavalhada, CEP 78200-000- Cáceres (MT), Brasil; EMPAER-MT, Mato Grosso, Brasil 2 Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso – IFMT- Confresa Campus, Av. Vilmar Fernandes, 300, Setor Santa Luzia - CEP: 78652-000 Confresa (MT), Brasil. Introduction: The copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf-Fabaceae) is a plant from which the folk medicine uses an essential oil with medicinal properties. It is important to be included in reforestation for commercial exploitation and preventing their extinction. Its seeds have dormancy, preserves its germination, but this extends the physiological viability of the seeds. Objectives: Evaluate the viability of Copaiba seeds during its aging through the germination. Material and methods: To assess the effect of natural aging in germination of seed viability of copaiba, were collected seeds soon after physiological ripeness (Aug-Sept 2005) under native trees located in the Flecha community, Cáceres (MT), Brazil. Then the seeds were stored in paper envelopes under stable conditions of temperature, light and moisture. The experimental study was deployed on random blocks with four treatments (monthly sowing, on fifth day of: January-T1, February-T2, March-T3 and April -T4, 2006), using 200 seeds at time. Results and discussion: The results of germination were T1: 72%, T2: 68%, T3: 53% T4: 45%. Germination sowing highest occurred in January (T1), decrease in the following seeding and with worse outcome in April (T4). The differences between the pairs of T1-T4 treatments were highly significant (p=0.006), T2-T4, significant (p= 0.019). In the other pairs (T1-T2, T1-T3, T2-T3 and T3-T4) differences were not significant (p> 0, 5), according to the Tukey test. Seeds aging (Tx = 1, 2, 3, 4) did decrease the germination (y), whose best fit trend to polynomial regression model of 3rd degree (R2 = 1; y = 0, 003x3-0 235x2 + 0 455x + 0.47) and then the linear model (R2 = 0.95; y = 2, 096x + 0.835). Final considerations: The germinating viability of Copaiba seeds is reduced by half in six months. Keywords: seed aging effect of germination, medicinal and essential oil plant, Mato Grosso state, Brazil ____________________ Acknowledgement: For Fapemat - financial support, for UNEMAT and EMPAER-MT- institutional support; To the collaborators colleagues from the research group FLOBIO - (Plants carrying Bioactive substances); References: P.R. Ramos and A. Rieder(Orient). Efeito do tempo pós - maturação e de dois tratamentos sob a germinação de sementes de copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii - Desf.). Cáceres(MT),Brasil: UNEMAT, 2006.(Monografia).