Effect of different pre-sowing treatments on seed germination percentage and growth performance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia auriculiformis</Emphasis>

Seed morphology, germination and seedlings growth of Acacia auriculiformis were studied. The experiment was conducted in the nursery of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh. Matured seeds of the species were collected from healthy trees of road side plantation from different areas of Khulna District, Bangladesh and treated with five pre-sowing treatments (control, immersion in cold water, immersion in hot water, scarification with sand paper and immersion in concentrated H₂SO₄). The average length, breadth and thickness were found to be (0.58±0.017) cm, (0.44±0.007) cm and (0.20±0.089) cm, respectively. Germination was conducted in polybags with a mixture of top soil, coconut husk, coarse sand, and fine sand in a ratio of 3:4:1:1. Results reveal that pre-sowing treatments influences the germination rates of seeds that significantly increase the percentage germination compared with those in control (43%) and cold water treatment (52%). The highest germination success rate was found 83% in hot water treatment followed by 78% in scarification with sand paper, and 75% with immersion in H₂SO₄. Germination started from 7 to 12 days and completed between 28 and 35 days period in all treatments. ANOVA showed the significant difference (p<0.05) among the treatments in seed germination, but no significant difference among treatment with regard to starting day, closing day and total germination period. In case of height and diameter growth, seedlings originated from the seeds with hot water treatment shows significantly higher in wet season (from May to July). Hot water treatment can be recommended on seed germination of the species in rural Bangladesh.     

The effect of different pre-sowing seed treatments, temperature and light on the germination of five Senna species from Ethiopia

The germination requirements of five Senna species: S. bicapsularis, S. didymobotrya, S. multiglandulosa, S. occidentalis and S. septemtrionalis have been investigated. Seeds possess dormancy which is caused by their hard seed coats hampering maximum, uniform and rapid germination. To overcome this dormancy, seeds of the five species were pre-treated with (a) mechanical scarification, (b) concentrated sulphuric acid for 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes and (c) boiling water for 15, 30, 45 and 60 seconds. To determine the effects of temperature on the germination of seeds, pre-treated seeds from each species were incubated at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C. Germination was also tested in the dark. Both acid treatment and mechanical scarification resulted in fast and uniform germination. The highest germination (95–100%) for all species was obtained from seeds treated with sulphuric acid for 60 minutes. Mechanical scarification resulted in 100% germination in all the species except S. septemtrionalis (59%). Boiling water improved germination significantly in S. didymobotrya (98%), S. occidentalis (82%) and S. septemtrionalis (97%), but had very little effect on S. multiglandulosa and reduced germination in S. bicapsularis. Senna seeds germinated over a wide range of temperatures with the optimum temperatures for germination falling around 20–25°C. Germination was either completely inhibited or very low at 10°C. Seeds of all species germinated both in light and dark conditions.     

Screening for host responses in Acacia to a canker and wilt pathogen,Ceratocystis manginecans

In Vietnam, the productivity of Acacia hybrid (Acacia mangium x A. auriculiformis) plantations is being threatened by an aggressive canker pathogen, Ceratocystis manginecans, and selection for tolerance is the main control strategy. A pot trial was established in Binh Duong province to screen for the host response of nine Acacia genotypes (six Acacia hybrid clones, two A. auriculiformis clones and mixed provenance seedlings of A. mangium) to artificial inoculation with three isolates of C. manginecans. Lesion lengths as measured on the inner bark suggested that the two A. auriculiformis clones were relatively more tolerant to C. manginecans than the A. mangium genotype. In contrast, the lesion lengths of all six Acacia hybrid clones fell between the A. auriculiformis and A. mangium genotypes. The results of this study indicate that among the Acacia hybrid clones, BV10 showed the most tolerance to C. manginecans. Chemical analysis of crude sapwood extracts sampled from the lesion provided some evidence that induced phenolic compounds, particularly tetrahydroxyflavanone and condensed tannins may have a defensive role in the Acacia—C. manginecans pathosystem. However, results were not consistent across individual Acacia hybrid clones and A. mangium genotypes.