Effect of pre-treatments on seed germination of Parkia biglobosa (Benth)

Abstract

There has been emphasis on the use of indigenous tree species to check land  degradation but these have not yielded the desired result, due to poor regeneration and slow growth rate of most indigenous trees. Parkia biglobosa (Jacq) Benth is being endangered as a result of over-exploitation coupled with the adverse effect of increasing human activities on its habitats and lack of its stand plantations (presently not being cultivated). This study was conducted at nursery section in University of Agriculture Makurdi. This study was carried out to investigate the most effective pre-sowing treatments to break seed dormancy and to stimulate seed germination. Matured seeds of P. biglobosa were collected from farmers at Mbalagh council ward of Makurdi area of Benue, Nigeria. The seeds were dried at room temperature and tested for viability by floatation. The seeds were subjected to four (4) different pre-treatments, namely: physical scarification treatment (treatment A); sulphuric acid for 20 minutes (treatment B); hot water treatment for 15 minutes (treatment C); cold water Treatment for 24 hours (treatment D) and untreated seeds which served as control. The result shows that dormancy was effectively broken by physical scarification which improved the germination  percentage to 72%; sulphuric acid for 20 minutes had 61% germination, treatment with hot water for 15 minutes had germination percentage of 49% while treatment with cold water for 24 hours had percentage of 32% and untreated seeds (control) had 21% germination. Based on this study, physical scarification is recommended as the best treatment to break dormancy in P. biglobosa (Jacq) Benth seed.

Keywords: Seed, Dormancy, Germination, Treatment, Indigenous species P. biglobosa.