Abstract
The germination of Sesbania sesban seeds was studied under controlled environmental conditions. Interactive effects of temperature and light, effects of salinity and effects of different pre-treatments of seeds were studied. Sesbania seeds were placed in Petri dishes with filtration paper and the germination and radical development followed during seven day periods. The seeds generally germinated within one or two days. There was no difference in percent germination between dark and light treatments, but the development of radical length was significantly influenced by both light conditions and temperature. Germination was highest at 30 and 37oC (up to 85%) but seeds also germinated readily at 22oC. No germination was observed at low (5 and 13oC) and high (45oC) temperatures. Salinities up to 100 mM NaCl (5.8 ppt) did not influence the germination percentage, but at 200 and 250 mM germination was reduced to 29 and 17% respectively. Pre-treatment of seeds in hot water, sulphuric acid or calcium sulphate had only minor effect on germination rate. The results are consistent with S. sesban being an opportunistic tropical wetland species capable of establishing itself in a wide range of environmental conditions.
Highlights
Sesbania sesban (L.) Merril (Fabaceae) is widely used in agriculture as green manures and as a source of forage (Anonymous, 1924; Whyte et al, 1953)
The results are consistent with S. sesban being an opportunistic tropical wetland species capable of establishing itself in a wide range of environmental conditions
Temperature had a significant effect on both radical length and percentage germination, but light condition did not affect germination (Table 1)
Summary
Sesbania sesban (L.) Merril (Fabaceae) is widely used in agriculture as green manures and as a source of forage (Anonymous, 1924; Whyte et al, 1953). Sesbania spp. has an extremely fast growth rate (Gutteridge and Shelton, 1993), and the species may have a significant effect on wetland ecosystems. Germination of wetland species may be effected by several environmental factors, including diurnal temperature fluctuations, salinity, low oxygen concentration, and risk of flooding or coverage by sediments (dark environment) (Forsberg, 1966; Bonnewell et al, 1983; Meredith, 1985; Lorenzen et al, 2000; Shonjani, 2002). Esechie (1995) showed that high temperatures might have a direct adverse effect on embryo viability of Sesbania. In Southeast Asia, various pre-treatments of the seeds such as nicking, hot water soaking, and physical or acid scarification have been used to enhance the germination of many legume species
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