Survival and Growth Response of Seedlings to Seed Size Variation of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth

Abstract

Aims: T o investigate the influence of seed size variation on seedling growth height, root collar diameter, root length, seedling length, root shoot ratio, number of leafs, leaf area, dry weight and survival of Albizia lebbeck in the nursery. Place and Duration of Study : The experiment was conducted in the nursery at Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife between March and September 2014. Methodology : Seeds were categorized into three groups in regard to their length and weight: large (0.98±0.05 cm) and (0.22±0.02 g); medium ( 0.64±0.04 cm) and ( 0.13±0.02 g) ; and small (0.32 ±0.05 cm) and (0.09 ±0.01 g). The treatments were completely randomized into four replications. A total of 600 seeds were used with each treatment having 50 seeds. T o improve germination, seeds were mechanically nicked with secateurs. Results: Seedling height, root collar diameter, root length, seedling length, root shoot ratio, number of leafs, leaf area, dry weight and percentage survival were significantly ( P <.001) affected by seed size variation. Large seeds produced higher seedling height ( 58.4 cm), root collar diameter