Evaluating Trichoderma strains as a pretreatment to break physical dormancy in Piscidia piscipula and Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Fabaceae)

Abstract

Piscidia piscipula and Enterolobium cyclocarpum are two key tree species distributed across the agroforestry landscapes of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, both displaying physical dormancy. Although it has been possible to break physical dormancy through chemical and mechanical scarification, the effect of biological treatments for overcoming this condition in these species remains unknown. Trichoderma fungi naturally inhabit agricultural soils and can degrade seed coats, potentially facilitating germination. We assessed some seed traits (fresh mass, dry mass, and moisture content) for both species. Additionally, seeds were inoculated in Petri dishes at 30 °C with three Trichoderma strains isolated from different crops: Zea mays (C2), Lactuca sativa (C4), and Theobroma cacao (C10). Germination percentages were evaluated and compared against a non-inoculated control group. All Trichoderma inoculation treatments resulted in low germination rates for both species, showing no significant differences from the control. Enterolobium cyclocarpum seed mass (fresh and dry) was significantly higher than in P. piscipula; however, P. piscipula seeds exhibited higher moisture content than E. cyclocarpum. Treatments with Trichoderma strains proved ineffective in breaking physical dormancy in both species.

Received: August 18, 2026

Accepted: October 15, 2026

Published online: November 13, 2026

Correspondence: José Luis Aragón-Gastélum (jlaragon@uacam.mx)

Citation: Hernández-Mena, A.E., Barrios, D., Aguirre-Crespo, F.J., Aragón-Gastélum, J.L., Gutiérrez-Alcántara, E.J., Pantí-Uc, E.A., Popoca-Cuaya, M.A., Landero-Valenzuela, N. & Robles-Díaz, E. 2026. Evaluating Trichoderma strains as a pretreatment to break physical dormancy in Piscidia piscipula and Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Fabaceae). Caribea 2(1): 34–40. https://doi.org/10.70925/caribea2.34-40

Author Contributions: JLAG and EJGA: Conceptualization. JLAG and NLV: Methodology. DB and JLAG: Formal analysis. AEHM, EJGA, EAPU and FJAC: Investigation. AEHM: Writing (original draft). DB, FJAC, JLAG and EJGA: Writing (review and editing). FJAC and EJGA: Visualization. FJAC and JLAG: Supervision. JLAG: Project administration and funding acquisition. FJAC, EJGA, MAPC, ERD and NLV: Data curation and validation. All authors have agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.