GERMINATION OF BUTIA PALM SEEDS AS AFFECTED BY PREGERMINATION TREATMENTS | ||
| Journal of Productivity and Development | ||
| Article 4, Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2007, Pages 401-410 PDF (216.5 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpd.2007.44965 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Sayed Shahin* 1; Azza Arafa2 | ||
| 1Botanical Garden Res. Department, Hort. Res. Inst, A.R.C., Giza, Egypt. | ||
| 2Ornamental Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agric., Cairo Univ., Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| A study was conducted under plastic house at Orman Botanical Garden, Giza, Egypt during 2005 and 2006 seasons to overcome the deep dormancy state of mature and depulped Butia capitata, (Mart) Mecc, seeds, which may refer to impermeable sclera-endocarp, as well as producing high quality seedlings. The obtained results indicated that the treatments of soaking in tap water and mechanical scarification slightly improved germination traits and seedling quality, but didn't affect thickness, strength and chemical constituents of scleraendocarp. On the other hand, acid scarification with concentrated H2SO4, specially for 4 and 6 hrs., significantly improved germination%, germination velocity, mean germination rate, germination rate index, vigour index and quality of the produced seedlings (assessed as seedling height, root length, root branchlets /seedling and fresh and dry weights of aerial parts and roots), with the superiority of soaking for 6 hrs., treatment, which also reduced thickness, strength and chemical components of endocarp to the minimum values comparing with control and other treatments. Therefore, soaking the depulped seeds of Butia capitata, (Mart.) Becc., in concentrated sulfuric acid for 6 hrs., can be recommended to farmers as a simple, cheap and very effective way for high and accelerated germination. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Germination; Butia capitata; sulfuric acid (H2SO4); mechanical scarification; endocarp | ||
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