Abstract
ABSTRACT This study was carried out to monitor the effect of weevil damage on fresh and cured nut germination and subsequent growth in Cola nitida (Vent) Scott and Endl. Both fresh and cured nuts were graded into 3 categories: • Badly damaged nuts with more than 10 weevil holes • Fairly damaged nuts with less than 10 weevil holes • Undamaged nuts (control) The infested cured nuts germinated more promptly than those of the fresh nuts. The cured nuts also recorded higher percentage germination than the fresh nuts. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the germination rates of the different nut conditions for both cured and fresh nuts, as the badly damaged nuts recorded very low rates of germination. The fairly damaged nuts had the best germination performance as this degree of weevil damage caused slight scarification that encouraged faster germination. The dry matter accumulation was greatest in the seedlings of undamaged nuts followed by those of the fairly damaged nuts and then the badly damaged nuts respectively, regardless of whether they were fresh or cured.
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