Study of germination conditions of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) seeds obtained by genetic selection

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the third most important source of calories for human and animal in Africa. Its production is adversely affected by Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) which is the most important viral disease in cassava fields. To fight these virus diseases, it is significant to seek strategies of effective control while answering the taste of consumers. One of these strategies is to create new resistant/tolerant clones by genetic selection. However, in order to hasten the selection of these resistant/tolerant clones, it is important to know the germination conditions of these cassava seeds in order to have healthy planting materials for screening purposes in the field. With this purpose, a Split-Split-plot design was adopted to evaluate effect of various factors (sunning, germination medium and treatment by sulfuric acid, heat or cold) on the germination of seeds. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using GenStat and means were separated by Duncan's Multiple Range Test at 5% level of significance. These evaluation results revealed that germination of cassava seeds is influenced by degree of sunning. Amongst the treatments carried out, the treatment of the seeds by cold increased the germination percentage from 30 to 70%. The nature of the germination media used for seed germination in this study did not have any significant effect on the rate and speed of germination. The length of the germination can be reduced from 2 weeks-several months to 8-30 days under favourable conditions.