Abstract:Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an environmentally and economically important tree and is among the most difficult to propagate fruit species. In this study, efforts were made to propagate the plant by using three different methods; seeds germination, cuttings and micropropagation. Seeds and cuttings were scarified and disinfected under aseptic conditions to improve the germination percentage and the percentage of success of cuttings in April and September through two successive seasons (2011 and 2012). Result… Show more
“…Our results confirm that carob seeds gave the highest percentage of germination after 96% sulphuric acid treatment for 20 min (Zaen El Deen et al 2014) and in a shorter time as compared to hot water treatment. The almost complete germination obtained in all genotypes confirms that their embryos are ready to germinate, and that dormancy overcoming determined by the acid is associated to the almost complete disruption of the hard seed coat.…”
Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a relevant element of the Mediterranean spontaneous vegetation. Moreover, it is useful in reforestation, and it is currently re-valued for sustainable agriculture in dryland areas. However, the difficulties tied to carob propagation (mainly seed dormancy) hamper its large-scale cultivation. In this paper, the effects of four seed treatments (no treatment [control], soaking at 70 °C and 90 °C in water, or in 96% sulphuric acid) on five carob genotypes germination were studied. As compared to the very low germination of untreated seeds (0–13% germination), sulphuric acid (93–100% germination) and 90 °C water soaking (from 72 to > 90% germination in four out the five genotypes) were effective in promoting germination. Soaking at 90 °C resulted in the leaching of a higher amount of total polyphenols from the genotypes seed coat as compared to soaking at 70 °C. A significant correlation (0.75**) was ascertained between polyphenol leaching of the different genotypes and germination. These results suggest that dormancy in this species is not primarily associated with seed coat hardness, as it is generally thought, but also with the release of polyphenols. Polyphenols determination of the dormant and the few non-dormant seeds of the different genotypes also seem to confirm this hypothesis since these last showed an almost halved total polyphenols content (on average 17.0) as compared to dormant ones (34.8 mg g−1 of seed FW). Further studies may determine the polyphenols involved, but also assess new, easier to carry out, seed treatments. The important role of the galactomannans on seed germination of carob is also discussed. Finally, similar studies may enhance the knowledge of dormancy processes in other Fabaceae species whose germination is positively affected by hot water treatments.
“…Our results confirm that carob seeds gave the highest percentage of germination after 96% sulphuric acid treatment for 20 min (Zaen El Deen et al 2014) and in a shorter time as compared to hot water treatment. The almost complete germination obtained in all genotypes confirms that their embryos are ready to germinate, and that dormancy overcoming determined by the acid is associated to the almost complete disruption of the hard seed coat.…”
Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a relevant element of the Mediterranean spontaneous vegetation. Moreover, it is useful in reforestation, and it is currently re-valued for sustainable agriculture in dryland areas. However, the difficulties tied to carob propagation (mainly seed dormancy) hamper its large-scale cultivation. In this paper, the effects of four seed treatments (no treatment [control], soaking at 70 °C and 90 °C in water, or in 96% sulphuric acid) on five carob genotypes germination were studied. As compared to the very low germination of untreated seeds (0–13% germination), sulphuric acid (93–100% germination) and 90 °C water soaking (from 72 to > 90% germination in four out the five genotypes) were effective in promoting germination. Soaking at 90 °C resulted in the leaching of a higher amount of total polyphenols from the genotypes seed coat as compared to soaking at 70 °C. A significant correlation (0.75**) was ascertained between polyphenol leaching of the different genotypes and germination. These results suggest that dormancy in this species is not primarily associated with seed coat hardness, as it is generally thought, but also with the release of polyphenols. Polyphenols determination of the dormant and the few non-dormant seeds of the different genotypes also seem to confirm this hypothesis since these last showed an almost halved total polyphenols content (on average 17.0) as compared to dormant ones (34.8 mg g−1 of seed FW). Further studies may determine the polyphenols involved, but also assess new, easier to carry out, seed treatments. The important role of the galactomannans on seed germination of carob is also discussed. Finally, similar studies may enhance the knowledge of dormancy processes in other Fabaceae species whose germination is positively affected by hot water treatments.
“…The seed coat is rigid and incapable of absorbing water, implying that carob has challenges with natural regeneration. Consequently, carob seed germination is difficult without seed coat scarification [ 21 ].…”
“…Moreover, carob seeds are difficult to germinate. The seed coat is extremely hard and not ready to absorb water, so carob seeds need pre-sowing treatments (Zaen El Deen et al, 2014). Propagation by cutting is problematic because carob has been described as one of the most difficult to root species (Hartmann et al, 1997).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Only a small number of layers can be produced from a parent plant than when the same plant is used as source of cuttings or scions, however this method is laborious, cumbersome and expensive. Zaen El Deen et al (2014) proved that carob micropropagtion needs further studies to overcome the difficulties in the root induction. Also, El Bouzdoudi et al (2017) reported that carob can be cultured in vitro with a survival rate of 40%.…”
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.