Germination Response of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth Seed to Different Scarification Treatments in Botswana | Chapter 14 | New Perspectives in Agriculture and Crop Science Vol. 1
Evaluation of different pre-sowing treatments on germination of A. lebbeck seeds was conducted in the laboratory at Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) from January to February 2018. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments as follows; mechanical scarification, boiling water, hot water, concentrated sulphuric acid (98.8%) and control (untreated seeds). Sulphuric acid had four different levels of exposure time (15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes), whereas boiling water had three levels of exposure time (1, 3 and 5 minutes). Each treatment had four replications. Germination percentages (GP), mean germination time (MGT) and germination index (GI) were calculated and the data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant (p<0.01) differences in germination parameters were observed across the treatments. Concentrated sulphuric (60 minutes) had superior absolute numbers than the rest including the control,...