TITLE:
Germination Response of African Crabwood Seeds (Carapa grandiflora Sprague) as Influenced by Three Pre-Germination Treatments in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Walter Ndam Tacham, Christiana Ngyeti Nyikob Mbogue, Doreen Yetina Nkwain, Francoline Jong Nkemnkeng, Jane Iyinji Anyi, Mendi Grace Anjah
KEYWORDS:
Carapa grandiflora, Pre-Treatment, Germination Response, Bamenda Highlands
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.12,
December
26,
2025
ABSTRACT: Carapa grandiflora is a multipurpose tree widely exploited for timber, traditional pharmacopoeia and handicraft for shoe making. These potentials have triggered over-exploitation of the species which might render the plant vulnerable in the nearest future. However, the germination techniques and performances are poorly understood by the local populations. Two pre-germination treatments were investigated (Mechanical and chemical scarification). Mechanical scarification consisted of nicking (T1), manual removal of seed coat (T2) while chemical scarification consisted of soaking the seeds in 50% concentrated sulphuric acid for 1 minute (T3), 3 minutes (T4) and 6 minutes (T5). The seeds were sown in polythene bags and watering was on regular basis. Germination and early growth parameters were monitored daily. Data collected were entered into Microsoft excel and analyzed using STATGRAPHIC 2016. There was an overall germination percentage of 43.33%. Seeds soaked in 50% concentrated sulphuric acid above 1 minute failed to germinate. Nicked seeds had the best latent period followed by manual removal of seed coat while those soaked in 50% concentrated sulphuric acid for 1 minute had the least throughout the study. The germination percentage was significant (p > 0.05) with nicked seed having the highest (62.2 ± 2.54) followed by manual removal of seed coat (46.7 ± 2.12) while seeds soaked in 50% concentrated sulphuric acid for 1 minute were the least (30.0 ± 2.40). Early growth performance of seedlings was not significant (p > 0.05) though nicked seeds had better performance followed by manual removal seed coat while seeds soaked in 50% concentrated sulphuric acid were the least. Ultimately, this study showed that pre-treatments have an influence on the germination and early growth performance of Carapa grandiflora. Some of these pre-treatments could be adopted for the propagation, conservation and sustainable management of the species.