EFFECT OF SEED TREATMENT AND GROWTH MEDIA ON THE PROPAGATION OF SEEDS OF ALLIGATOR PEPPER (AFRAMOMUM MELEGUETA K. SCHUM.)

A screen house trial was conducted at the nursery of National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, South western Nigeria to investigate the effects of seed treatments and different growth media on the germination of seeds of Aframomum melegueta which show some degree of dormancy that makes it difficult to achieve adequate germination.
The trial was laid out in a 4×7 factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times.
The first factor was seed treatment (scarification with riverbed sand, soaking in cold water overnight, soaking in boiling water for 30 min and no treatment). The second factor was the growing medium (top soil, cured poultry manure, sawdust, top soil + cured poultry manure (1:1), top soil + sawdust (1:1), cured poultry manure + sawdust (1:1) and top soil + cured poultry manure + sawdust (1:1:1)). Twenty seeds were planted per pot.
The results showed that the highest stand count was achieved with the scarified treatment and the lowest when seeds were soaked in boiling water.
Seeds soaked in boiling water took the longest period to emerge while seeds scarified with riverbed sand emerged quickest.
Regarding the effect of growth media on the emergence of seeds of A. melegueta, the highest stand count was recorded when the growth media consisting of top soil + cured poultry manure+ sawdust was used, while the lowest stand count was obtained when sawdust alone was used.
Furthermore, seeds planted on top soil + cured poultry manure + sawdust emerged earlier than those planted on any of the other media.
Seeds on sawdust alone took the longest time to germinate.
However, seed treatment and growth media combined had significant effect on germination.
Highest percentage germination of 70.3% was recorded with seed treated with riverbed sand while the combination of top soil + cured poultry manure + sawdust also gave a relatively high percentage germination of 63.8%. Interaction between the seed treatments and the growing media was significant for stand count, days to seed emergence and percentage seed germination.
An increase in production and availability of this wild indigenous species will only be possible when suitable production practices of its potentials are obtained through domestication.

II All Africa Horticulture Congress

T.A. Fariyike, O.S. Adebayo, O.M. Adewale, B.A. Adelaja, E.A. Adesegun

Aframomum melegueta, growing media, seed treatment, under-utilized spice

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.1007.95