HOT WATER ENHANCED GERMINATION OF LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA SEEDS IN LIGHT AND DARK CONDITIONS. C. C. Obiazi 1 ABSTRACT

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1 Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences 2015 Vol. 2, No. 2, pp ISSN(e): ISSN(p): DOI: /journl.68/ / Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. HOT WATER ENHANCED GERMINATION OF LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA SEEDS IN LIGHT AND DARK CONDITIONS C. C. Oizi 1 1Accdemic Stff, Deprtment of Agronomy, Delt Stte University, As Cmpus, As, Nigeri ABSTRACT Leucen leucocephl hs gret potentil in crop nd livestock production. However, the plnt is difficult to propgte from oth seeds nd stem cuttings Scrifiction tretment hs the prospective of enhncing seed germintion. Chemicls nd wter hve een used for seed scrifiction. This study evluted the effectiveness of hot nd oiling wter in enhncing the germintion of Leucen leucocephl seed. Informtion on the condition (light or drk) t which Leucen seeds germinte etter is lso provided. The seeds were immersed in hot wter nd oiling wter for 1, 2, 3, nd 4 minutes respectively. At twenty-one dys fter the set-up of the experiment, untreted L. leucocephl seeds hd 0 % nd 13.3 % germintions under light nd drk conditions respectively.; seeds immersed in oiling wter for 1-4 minutes did not germinte irrespective of the condition of germintion while ll the seeds immersed in hot wter for one to three minutes hd totl (100%) germintion; delying the period of immersing the seeds in hot wter to four minutes resulted in significntly less percentge germintion thn the forementioned ones immersed in hot wter for one to three minutes ut hd significntly greter germintion thn the untreted seeds. Drk nd light conditions resulted in similr percentge seed germintion outcome. Immersing Leucen leucocephl seeds for one minute is recommended. Plnting seeds in drk condition is recommended since continuous light provided no dditionl germintion outcome, in spite of the dditionl cost of providing continuous light in the growth of seeds under light condition. Keywords: Leucen leucocephl, Seed scrifiction, Seed germintion, Hot wter, Boiling wter. 1. INTRODUCTION Leucen (Leucen leucocephl) hs gret potentil in crop production s well s in livestock production. Kng [1] reported tht in long-term tril conducted on non-cid soil in southern Nigeri, high mize yield ws otined with or without nitrogen ppliction when mulched with L. leucocephl pruning. Gethun nd Njeng [2] lso noted tht in Keny, frmers who grow yms hve discovered the usefulness of L. leucocephl nd hve strted growing it s source of living stkes. Oizi [3] oserved tht if ym stkes re produced on the frm, it will e Corresponding uthor 2015 Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 67

2 Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences, 2015, 2(2):67-72 gurnteed source of chep ym stkes nd tht pruning derived from ym stkes re sources of orgnic mteril in frm, leding to improved soil fertility, nd reducing the need for fertilizer, therey minimizing the cost of production. It should e noted tht L. leucocephl eing fst growing tree legume could e used s windrek to protect crops like plntin nd nn which suffer much dmge from wind. In livestock production, Leucen is source of high qulity nutrients for ruminnts nd suitle s yer round feed ecuse of its drought resistnce, persistence, vigorous growth nd re-growth nd pltility [4]. It hs high protein of high digestiility nd is lso high in minerls nd vitmins [5, 6]. Despite the usefulness of Leucen leucocephl, the plnt is difficult to propgte; ttempts t using the seeds result in poor nd non-uniform germintion, the stem cuttings lso give poor sprouting. This study ws crried out to evlute the influence of hot nd oiling wter s well s photoperiod on seed scrifiction nd germintion in Leucen leucocephl.. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS An experiment to investigte the germintion response of Leucen leucocephl seeds to hot wter tretments ws crried out in the rinforest ecologicl zone, Ark (05º 47 N, 06º 06 E), Southern Nigeri. Dry pods of L. leucen were collected from plnts locted in Ark, Nigeri. Fifty rndomly selected pods were opened nd the seed distriutions rnge seeds per pod. The seeds were kept in dry continer fter removing the ded nd mlformed ones. The seeds were divided into nine groups. Four groups of seeds were soked in hot wter for 1, 2, 3 nd 4 minutes respectively nd nother set oiled t C for 1, 2, 3 nd 4 minutes respectively. Treted seeds were rought out of hot or oiling wter t the expirtion of the required time nd llowed to cool t room temperture efore eing put out for germintion. One group of seeds ws untreted nd served s control. The experiment ws lid out in rndomized complete lock design. Ten seeds of ech tretment nd the control were plced in two Petri dishes t five seeds per dish. Three lotting ppers were plced in the floor of ech Petri dish nd were kept wet throughout the experiment. One set of ech tretment ws plced under continuous fluorescent light; the other set ws plced under complete drkness in oxes. This process ws repeted three times.. Emergence of 1.00 mm of ridicule ws used s criterion for germintion s ws used y Gill, et l. [7]. Rdicule emergence is widely ccepted s n indiction tht germintion hs egun [8]. Count for germintion ws mde fter three dys until 21 dys fter set up. Dt otined with respect to germintion performnce of the tretments were sujected to nlysis of vrince nd tretment mens seprted using Duncn s multiple rnge tests. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1. Effect of Boiling Wter on Seed Germintion The contents in the Tle 1 hs clerly shown tht exposure of Leucen seed to oiling wter 2015 Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 68

3 Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences, 2015, 2(2):67-72 from 1 4 minutes did not id germintion. Immersing Leucen leucocephl seeds in oiling wter did not result in germintion irrespective of the time durtion of one to four minutes nd the condition of germintion (continuous light or continuous drkness) (Tle 1). Gill, et l. [7] oserved tht Mimos pigr oiled for 4 nd 5 minutes did not germinte while those oiled for 1 nd 2 minutes resulted in 40% nd 35% germintion respectively fter 21 dys. They dded tht oiling for one minute resulted in 46% germintion in drk condition. The 0% germintion of L. leucocephl seeds sujected to 1-4 minutes oiling wter in this study could e ttriuted to high level of het trnsmission from the oiling wter through the seed test to the cotyledon nd the emryo. The emryo my hve een destroyed nd enzymes in the seed dentured. When hot wter-treting vegetle seeds it is criticl to follow the instructions exctly, s seeds my e dmged y the tretment [9]. Reserch hs eqully shown tht hot-wter tretment cn penetrte the seed sufficiently to erdicte cteril infections inside the seed. There re only few seed compnies tht routinely do hot-wter tretment of some seeds, peppers for instnce re considered frgile since there is risk tht germintion will e reduced if the wter gets too hot. Thus, some vrieties or seed lots re more vulnerle to het tretment thn others [10]. Tle-1. Effect of oiling wter exposure on seed germintion in Leucen leucocephl Tretment Cond.* of Germintion % (Dys After Tretment) durtion Germ. ** Control Light Control Drk M Light M Drk M Light M Drk M Light M Drk M Light M Drk Cond.* = Condition, Germ. ** = Germintion, M = Minute (s) Effect of Hot Wter on Seed Germintion Seeds immersed in hot wter for one minute irrespective of light condition ttined % germintion significntly erlier thn tht oserved in ny of the other tretments; seeds immersed in hot wter for one minute germinted six dys erlier thn seeds immersed in hot wter for two or three minutes which were germinted under drk condition (Tle 2). At twenty-one dys fter tretment ll the seeds which were immersed in hot wter for one to three minutes hd totl germintion. Seeds immersed in hot wter for four minutes t twenty-one dys fter tretment hd significntly less germintion thn the other treted seed ut hd significntly greter germintion thn the untreted seeds Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 69

4 Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences, 2015, 2(2):67-72 Tle-2. Effect of immersing Leucen leucocephl seeds in hot wter for different time durtions on seed germintion Tretment Cond* of Germintion % (Dys After Tretment) durtion Germintion Control light 0.0 c 0.0 d 0.0 d 0.0 e 0.0 e 0.0 e 0.0 c Control Drk d 13.3 d 13.3 d 13.3 e 13.3 d 13.3 d 1M Light c M Drk M Light c 66.7 c 66.7 c 66.7 c M Drk c M Light 0.0 c 6.7 d 20.0 c 33.3 d 66.7 c M Drk c 66.7 c M Light c 66.7 c 66.7 c 66.7 c 66.7 c 66.7 c 4M Drk Mens Mens within column followed y the sme letter(s) do not differ significntly t 5% level of proility. Cond.* = Condition, Germ. ** = Germintion, M + = Minute (s) Effect of Durtion in Hot Wter on Seed Germintion Plcement of seeds in hot wter for one minute under drk condition ws consistently mong tretments tht gve significntly (P>0.05) est percentge germintion. Only one minute seed immersions in hot wter under drk or light condition were oserved to hve ttined 100% germintion t 12 dys fter plnting (DAP). Six dys lter (18 DAP) two nd three minutes tretments under drk condition ttined 100% seed germintion. Four minutes tretment only ttined 66.7% nd 80% germintion t 21 DAP under drk nd light conditions respectively. At 6 DAP, drk condition tretments recorded their significntly greter germintion % thn their respective light conditions (Tle 2); this sme trend ws repeted t 9 DAP for 1, 3 nd 4 minutes tretments. This ws the generl trend in this study. Lrger difference ws oserved etween light nd drk conditions in the germintion of Mimos pigr, using 70% HNO 3 for 20 minutes, it resulted in 58% nd 38% germintion in light nd drk respectively [7]. Some seeds either require light for germintion or germinte etter in light, while others re insensitive to light. For instnce, seeds of Rottoeli cochinchinensis germinte etter in light thn in drkness [8]. Brs with similr letters re not significntly different t 5 % level of proility. Fig-1. Percentge germintion of Leucen leuccocehl seeds s influenced y the durtion of tretment in hot wter twenty-one dys fter tretment set up Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 70

5 % GERMINATION Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences, 2015, 2(2):67-72 Durtion of hot wter tretment hd significnt effect on the germintion of Leucen seeds (Figure 1). The treted seeds hd significntly greter seed germintion thn the untreted seeds; untreted seeds hd men germintion of 6.65 %, while the seeds tht were immersed in hot wter for one, two nd three minutes respectively hd 100 % seed germintion t 21 dys fter set up; seeds treted for four minutes hd significntly less verge germintion of 73.3 %, ut were significntly greter thn wht ws oserved with the untreted seeds. Hot wter tretments for 2 nd 3 minutes must hve destroyed more of the seed test with insignificnt injury to the seed emryo; these prticulr tretments hd 100% germintion (Tle 2). The het trnsmitted through the test to the cotyledon nd the emryo when the seeds were immersed in hot wter for four minutes must hve cused injury to the emryo of some of the seeds resulting in 33.3% nd 20% loss in germintion under light nd drk conditions respectively, reltive to seeds which received hot wter tretment for one to three minutes which hd 100% germintion Effect of Light Condition on Seed Germintion Untreted seeds (control) under continuous light did not germinte (Tle 1). Untreted seeds (control) plced under drk condition hd 6.7% germintion six dys fter set up; 12 dys fter set up the percentge germintion doule (13.3%) therefter there ws no dditionl germintion in the untreted seeds under drk condition. Drk nd light environment did not ffect the percentge germintion of treted Leucen seeds differently (Fig. 2). Eqully comprle re the percentge germintion in drk nd light conditions for the untreted seeds. However the treted seeds hd significntly greter germintion thn the untreted seeds right from three dys fter tretment up till 21 dys fter set up. Treted seeds hd n verge of 95 % seed germintion t 21 dys fter set up in drk nd light conditions DAYS 6 DAYS 9 DAYS 12 DAYS 15 DAYS 18 DAYS 21 DAYS TIME AFTER TREATMENT Untreted light condition Hot wter light condition Untreted drk condition Hot wter drk condition Fig-2. Germintion of Leucen leuccocehl seeds s influenced y light condition nd hot wter tretments Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 71

6 Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences, 2015, 2(2): CONCLUSION Drk nd light environments did not ffect the percentge germintion of treted Leucen seeds in different wys. Plnting seeds in drk condition is recommended since it is cost effective reltive to sitution where continuous light is provided with no dditionl germintion outcome. The results otined from this study show tht dipping L. leucocephl seeds in oiling wter for one or more minutes did not result in ny germintion. Further studies should e crried out on Leucen seed immersion in oiling wter for different time durtions of less thn one minute. Immersing leucen seeds in hot wter for 1-3 minutes hd similr (100 %) germintion t 21dys fter plnting. One to three minutes Leucen leucocephl seeds exposure to hot wter tretment is recommended for enhnced germintion. Use of wter in the scrifiction of seeds is oth sfe nd sustinle; frmers cn esily fford nd dopt the technology. This method of seed scrifiction is lso hndy in orgnic griculture. REFERENCES [1] B. T. Kng, Sustinle groforestry system for the tropics: Concepts nd exmples IITA reserch guide 26. Trining progrm. Idn, Nigeri: Interntionl Institute of Tropicl Agriculture (IITA), [2] A. Gethun nd A. Njeng, "Living stkes. Kenyn frmers introduce n groforestry technology," Agroforestry Tody, vol. 2, p. 2, [3] C. C. Oizi, "Sustinle supply of stkes for ym production," Journl of Sustinle Agriculture, vol. 5, pp , [4] L. Reynolds nd A. N. Att-Krh, "Alley frming with livestock," presented t the Pper Presented t the Interntionl Workshop on Alley-Frming for Humid nd Su-humid Regions of Tropicl Afric, IITA, Idn, Nigeri, [5] R. J. Jones, "The vlue of Leucen leucocephl in the tropics," World Animl Review, vol. 31, pp , [6] O. B. Smith nd M. F. Vn Houtert, "The feeding vlue of gliricidi - review," World Animl Review, vol. 62, pp , [7] L. S. Gill, H. I. Onyie, nd A. E. Evive, "Germintion iology of Mimos pigr (Leguminose)," Nigerin Journl of Weed Science, vol. 3, pp , [8] I. O. Akoundu, Weed science in the tropics: Principle nd prctices. New York: John Wiley nd Sons Inc, [9] S. A. Miller nd M. L. L. Ivey, "Hot wter tretment of vegetle seeds to erdicte cteril plnt pthogens in orgnic production systems. Ohio Stte University extension s we site Ohioline," p. 3. Aville: [Accessed 31/07/2014], [10] USDA (United Sttes Deprtment of Agriculture), "Hot wter tretment of seed. Hot wter tretment of seed _ UMss mherst vegetle progrm.htm," The College of Nturl Sciences, p. 1, Views nd opinions expressed in this rticle re the views nd opinions of the uthor(s), Current Reserch in Agriculturl Sciences shll not e responsile or nswerle for ny loss, dmge or liility etc. cused in reltion to/rising out of the use of the content Conscienti Bem. All Rights Reserved. 72