Germination Studies and Early Seedling Growth of Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Harms Following Some Pretreatment Protocol for Enhanced Germination

Abstract

Germination and early seedling growth of Sphenostylis stenocarpa were studied to determine the most effective method of breaking the seed coat-dormancy. Sphenostylis stenocarpa seeds were treated with concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3), hydrochloric acid (HCl), nicking and hot water for 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. Chemical scarification with concentrated sulphuric acid at 5 seconds significantly (P<0.05) enhanced the germination and growth of Sphenostylis stenocarpa. The ratio of occurrence of small size (SS) to large size (LS) seeds Sphenostylis stenocarpa was 1:4. The small size seed has an average weight of 0.24 ± 0.05g while the large size seed has an average weight of 0.36 ± 0.08g. This study shows that sulphuric acid scarification is an effective method for breaking seed coat-imposed dormancy in Sphenostylis stenocarpa