Short-Term Conservation and Exploitation of Sweet Acacia (Vachellia farnesiana L. Wight & Arn.) Through an Efficient Scarification-Based Germination Protocol.

Vachellia farnesiana (L. Wight & Arn.), known as "huizache" or sweet acacia, is a nitrogen-fixing legume with a wide distribution in arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico and America. Its potential in ecological restoration, phytoremediation and improvement of degraded soils has generated a growing interest in establishing reliable protocols for its conservation and short-term exploitation. This is an efficient germination protocol based on mechanical scarification and subsequent in vitro culture. Seeds were obtained from mature fruits, manually scarified, disinfected, germinated under sterile conditions and sown on Fahraeus medium, which does not contain nitrogen and is commonly used to evaluate symbiosis with rhizobia. Optimal incubation conditions favoring root emergence were determined over a 96-h period. Subsequently, seedlings were grown in vitro for initial development and morphological and physiological analysis. This standardized protocol allows rapid, controlled and reproducible germination, which facilitates the production of plants for conservation programs, sustainable management and agricultural use. The proposed methodology also constitutes a useful tool for symbiosis and genetic improvement studies in native legumes.