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 AJPS  Vol.5 No.20 , September 2014
Seed Germination and Effects of Three Watering Regimes on the Growth of Dialium guineense (Wild) Seedlings
O. Olajide1, A. A. Oyedeji2,3*, G. S. Tom1, J. Kayode4
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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 (T1), soaking in cold water for 24 hours (T2), soaking in running water for 48 hours (T3) and control (T4), while watering regimes include: watering once daily in the morning (W1), watering once every two days in the morning (W2) and watering once every three days in the morning (W3). 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 (T2), while the untreated seeds (control) took the longest period of 12 days before germination occurred. T1 had the highest germination value of 49.6% while T3 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 W2 and W3 supported the best growth performance. It is concluded from the results that T2 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.
Keywords: Dialium guineense, Seeds, Dormancy, Pre-Germination, Seedlings Growth, Watering Regimes
Cite this paper: Olajide, O. , Oyedeji, A. , Tom, G. , Kayode, J. (2014) Seed Germination and Effects of Three Watering Regimes on the Growth of Dialium guineense (Wild) Seedlings. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 5, 3049-3059. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2014.520321.
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