2025/06/08 by Baba, G. O., Bichi, A. M., Olaifa, R. K. +1
#Germination #P. erinaceous #Potting media #Pre-treatments #Seedlings
paper · doi:10.82552/njhs.v29i1.141-148
inconsistent germination rate, attributed to dormancy and hard seed coats that prevent water absorption. Breaking of seed coat is crucial for promoting uniform and rapid germination. Hence, this study was carried out to evaluate the performance of P. erinaceus seedlings. Treatments consisted of potting media (top soil and river sand) and pre-sowing treatments (soaked and unsoaked). Seeds subjected to pre-treatments were sown in polythene bags filled with potting media and arranged in nursery beds. The treatments were laid out in complete randomized design (CRD) replicated four times. Data were collected at two-week intervals on germination rate, seedling height, number of leaves and number of branches. Significantly higher germination rate (38.5 and 56.2%), seedling height (4.3-21.6cm), number of leaves (2.8-12.5) and number of branches (3.0-5.5) were recorded from top soil than germination rate (15.4 and 22.5%), seedling height (3.1-16.0cm), number of leaves (1.5-6.6) and number of branches (1.6-2.9) obtained from riversand. Similarly, soaked seeds recorded higher germination rate (35.0 and 51.1%), seedling height (4.2-21.3cm), number of leaves (2.4-10.5) and number of branches (2.5-4.7) than germination rate (18.9 and 27.6%), seedling height (3.3-16.6cm), number of leaves (1.9-8.6) and number of branches (2.0-3.8) obtained from unsoaked seeds. Topsoil consistently outperformed riversand in all growth parameters, indicating its efficiency as a potting medium. Likewise, pre-treatment by soaking also enhanced germination and subsequent growth of seedlings than unsoaked seeds. Germination and growth parameters showed significant positive (P<0.01) correlations (r = 0.8847-0.9998), suggesting coordinated growth responses under optimal conditions. The study concludes that topsoil and seed soaking are effective strategies for improving germination and early growth of P. erinaceus seedlings. These findings will improve understanding of nursery practices of this tree species, and can be applied to optimize seedling production for afforestation and reforestation efforts in similar agro-ecology.