Seed germination techniques of Phoenix dactylifera: A new experience from Bangladesh

Abstract

A new experiment on seed germination technique for Phoenix dactylifera, an exotic species was conducted in the nursery of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh. The seeds imported from Saudi Arabia were collected from Nirala Central Mosque, Khulna, Bangladesh, in September 2008 and treated with four presowing treatments (control, immersion in normal water at room temperature (20–22°C) for 12 h, immersion in sun-heated water (25–35°C) for 12 h, and immersion in hot water (50°C) for 10 h) before seed germination with different germination media (well dried loamy soil, coarse sand, mixture of coarse and fine sand at a ratio of 3:1, mixture of coarse and fine sand at a ratio of 3:2, and mixture of coarse and fine sand at a ratio of 1:1). The experiment showed that presowing treatments significantly increased the germination rates of seeds compared to those in control (68%) and hot water treatment (69%). The highest germination success (84%) was found in the immersion in normal water and sun-heated water for 12 h. Experiment also showed that seed germination with course sand and mixture of coarse and fine sand with a ratio of 3:1 performed better than the loamy soil. Germination started from 21 to 26 days and completed between 38–40 days of the germination period in all treatments. ANOVA showed a significant difference among the treatments in seed germination, but there was no significant difference among the media in seed germination. Normal water and sun-heated water for 12 h for pretreatment and coarse sand or mixture of coarse and fine sand at a ratio of 3:1 may be recommended for seed germination of the species in rural Bangladesh.

Key words： seed dormancy; pericarp; presowing treatment; small-scale nursery owners; Phoenix dactylifera

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Forestry and Wood Technology (FWT) Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh, for providing logistics support during the experiment. We also thank the support stuff of the nursery of FWT Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh, for their help and cooperation during the experiment.

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