Application and use of sulphuric acid pretreatment to improve seed germination of three acacia species

Authors

  • Abdenour Kheloufi Department of Ecology and Environment, University of Batna 2, 05000 Batna, Algeria http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4928-349X
  • Lahouaria Mounia Mansouri Department of Ecology and Environment, University of Batna 2, 05000 Batna, Algeria
  • Faiza Zineb Boukhatem Department of Biotechnology, University of Oran 1, 31000 Oran, Algeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21750/REFOR.3.01.25

Keywords:

Dormancy, Sulphuric Acid, Scarification, Tree Reproduction, Reforestation

Abstract

The experiments were led to study the effect of pretreatments and their duration on germination behavior of three Acacia species A. cyanophylla Lindl., A. farnesiana L. and A. decurrens Willd. by analyzing three parameters (GP: germination percentage; MGT: germination mean time (days) and GRI: germination rate index) for various times of incubation (5, 10 and 15 days) in Petri dishes. Pre-sowing treatment included immersion in concentrated sulphuric acid for 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The sowing in distilled water (Control) had no positive effect on the germination induction. Generally, the seed pretreatments were very useful to improve germination. Time of immersion significantly (P < 0.0001) affected GP, MGT and GRI in all species. Increasing the duration of sulphuric acid immersion (from 60 to 120 min) improved the germination percentages for A. cyanophylla and A. farnesiana seeds to (98% and 99%), respectively. However, increasing this duration had a negative effect on A. decurrens seed germination, reducing the final germination percentage from 97% at 60 minutes of immersion to 43% at 120 minutes.

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Author Biography

  • Abdenour Kheloufi, Department of Ecology and Environment, University of Batna 2, 05000 Batna, Algeria
    Department of Ecology and Environment

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2017-07-01

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No. 3 (2017)

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How to Cite

“Application and Use of Sulphuric Acid Pretreatment to Improve Seed Germination of Three Acacia Species”. REFORESTA, no. 3 (July 1, 2017): 1–10. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://journal.reforestationchallenges.org/index.php/REFOR/article/view/44.
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