Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of Pre-Sowing Treatments on the Germination and Growth Parameters of Abelmoschus esculenta Linn.

Abstract

A comparative study on the effects of pre-sowing treatments on the germination and growth of Abelmoschus esculentus was done by putting the seeds through three treatments at different durations before sowing. These treatments involved soaking the seeds in 30% H2SO4, vernalization and soaking in water (hydrotreatment). Five polyethene bags were used for each replicate, 16 replicates of 10kg of soil were prepared for the plant according to the treatments and duration placement. Morphometric data such as germination percentage, plant height, stem girth and leaf area were collected and analyzed using mean, variance, standard deviation, variance of the mean, standard error and confidence limit. The results of the analysis showed the various treatments and the duration significance on percentage germination and growth parameters of Abelmoschus esculentus seeds. Data showed the effects of various treatments duration and their significance on percentage germination of Abelmoschus esculentus seeds. The result further showed that the treatment of seeds before cultivation increased the percentage germination in A. esculentus when compared with the control replicate. It was also revealed that the height readings of different treatment sources and treatment durations did significantly affect the height of A. esculentus. It was also observed that leaf Area and stem girth significantly increased in different treatment methods and durations as seen in treatment of A. esculentus respectively. This research showed that seed treatment resulted in early germination and high growth rate; hence seed treatment with either soaking in 30% sulphuric acid, vernalization or soaking in water should be used for enhancing emergence and better seedling growth in Abelmoschus esculentus but attention should be paid to the duration of exposure of seed to these treatments.