SEED GERMINATION RESPONSE TO SELECTED SCARIFICATION TREATMENTS IN MONKEY COLA (Cola heterophylla) AND INDIAN MAST TREE (Polyalthia longifolia)

ABSTRACT

Afforestation is habitually used as a resolution to prevent the detrimental effects of deforestation. As a result majority of plants, particularly trees must be subjected to germination and cultivation in nurseries before being transplanted in deforested areas . Scarification is a process that involves weakening or altering the seed coat to break dormancy and enhance germination of seedling growth and development. In this study two forest trees Cola heterophylla (Malvaceae-Sterculoideae) and Polyalthia longifolia (Annonaceae) were evaluated for their ability to germinate under three different scarification treatments such as, dry heat (80°C), lukewarm water (40°C) and sulphuric acid (at 1.8M, 2.8M, 4.676 M) treatment. Seeds of Cola heterophylla and Polyalthia longifolia were subjected to these three treatments at different duration, temperature and concentrations. The result revealed no significant germination response to scarification treatments in both Cola heterophylla and Polyalthia longifolia seeds, with only the control (untreated seeds) of Polyalthia longifolia successfully exhibiting germination. The result signifies the difficulty involved in germination seeds of forest plants and the apparent variability in the response to scarification treatment among the two plant species. The absence in germination response of Cola heterophylla and Polyalthia longifolia seeds to these treatments signifies that the treatment might be either ineffective or too advanced for successful germination of seedling growth and development. In contrast, some of the control (untreated seeds) Polyalthia longifolia seeds germinated, suggesting that such seeds might not require pre-treatment scarification treatments to achieve maximum germination.