Seed Germination and Effects of Three Watering Regimes on the Growth of Dialium guineense (Wild) Seedlings

O. Olajide¹, A. A. Oyedeji^2,3*, G. S. Tom¹, J. Kayode⁴

¹Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
²Plant Science Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
³Department of Environmental and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampron, UK.
⁴Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.520321                

Abstract

The effectiveness of three pre-germination treatments in breaking dormancy of the seeds of Dialum guineense and effects of three watering regimes on the growth performance of the seedlings were investigated. The pre-germination treatments were: soaking in hot water for 10 seconds and cooling down in cold water (T₁), soaking in cold water for 24 hours (T₂), soaking in running water for 48 hours (T₃) and control (T₄), while watering regimes include: watering once daily in the morning (W₁), watering once every two days in the morning (W₂) and watering once every three days in the morning (W₃). The results showed that germination occurred first at 5 days after sowing (5 DAS) among the seeds soaked in cold water for 24 hours before sowing (T₂), while the untreated seeds (control) took the longest period of 12 days before germination occurred. T₁ had the highest germination value of 49.6% while T₃ had the least of 31.2%. The effects of watering regimes were found to be significantly different on stem-collar diameter, leaf area and total dry weight (P < 0.05). The least significant difference (LSD) test showed that W₂ and W₃ supported the best growth performance. It is concluded from the results that T₂ should be adopted for breaking the dormancy of Dialium guineense seeds and watering interval of three days would not dispose the seedlings to water-stress.

Keywords

Dialium guineense, Seeds, Dormancy, Pre-Germination, Seedlings Growth, Watering Regimes

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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