Seed Germination and Effects of Three Watering Regimes on the Growth of <i>Dialium guineense</i> (Wild) Seedlings
- 1 Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- 2 Plant Science Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
- 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- 4 Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
- 5 Department of Environmental and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampron, UK
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 (T 1 ), soaking in cold water for 24 hours (T 2 ), soaking in running water for 48 hours (T 3 ) and control (T 4 ), while watering regimes include: watering once daily in the morning (W 1 ), watering once every two days in the morning (W 2 ) and watering once every three days in the morning (W 3 ). 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 (T 2 ), while the untreated seeds (control) took the longest period of 12 days before germination occurred. T 1 had the highest germination value of 49.6% while T 3 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 W 2 and W 3 supported the best growth performance. It is concluded from the results that T 2 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.
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