Germination of Senegalia mellifera seeds in response to presowing treatments

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the size of Senegalia mellifera seeds and determine the most effective scarification techniques to improve germination. The experiment, conducted at Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, involved ten presowing treatments, including control, nicking, soaking in sulphuric acid for different durations, and boiling water for varying periods. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used for the experiment. Germination data was transformed using arcsine to meet normal distribution requirements and then analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the presowing treatments had a statistically significant effect on germination (P<0.00001). Seeds treated with sulphuric acid, nicking, and those left untreated exhibited the highest germination rates, while seeds treated with boiling water showed the lowest germination percentages. These findings indicate that the seed coats of S. mellifera are permeable to water and air, and presowing treatments do not show any significant effect on the successful germination of S. mellifera seed.