The objective of this work was to adjust the tetrazolium test methodology to Melanoxylon brauna seeds. The seeds were pre-conditioned by immersion in distilled water at 25ºC for 24 hours. The tegument of the seeds were removed and the embryos were submerged in the tetrazolium solution (pH 6.5) at concentration of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3%, and were kept in the dark at 25ºC temperature for 10 and 24 hours. The embryos were evaluated for the intensity of color, presence of milky areas, aspect of the tissues, and location of the color. The embryos were individually classified into nine viability classes. They were also submitted to the germination and seedling emergence tests. The best correlations between the standard tests of seed germination of Melanoxylon brauna were those with 0.3% concentration for 10 hours. The viability is represented by classes 1, 2 and 3.
Germination; forest seeds; embryo