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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Author(s)
Silindile Precious Miya and Albert Thembinkosi Modi
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DOI:10.17265/2161-6264/2017.01.002
Affiliation(s)
Crop Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 32012, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L.) is a neglected
African crop legume with potential to play a significant role as a staple and
industrial crop in sub-Saharan Africa. The crop can compete with Phaseolus vulgaris and Glycine max under harsh condition
associated with climate change. However, there are some
challenges associated with successful production of bambara
groundnut, such as poor crop
establishment due to physical seed dormancy. This study
was conducted to investigate the effect of scarification on overcoming seed
dormancy in bambara groundnut. Bambara groundnut landrace seeds were
characterized by seed coat colour (cream, light brown and brown) in order to
determine the effects of mechanical (sand paper) and chemical (sulphuric acid)
seed scarification on germination and emergence. A completely randomized design
with three replications was used. Thousand
grain mass (TGM), mean germination time (MGT), germination vigour index (GVI),
seedling root to shoot ratio, seedling dry mass and field emergence were
determined. Thousand grain mass increased with the decrease in seed coat colour
pigmentation. Brown seeds had the highest final germination and field emergence, and cream seeds had
the least. Imposing chemical or mechanical scarification improved germination
as compared to no scarification. However, seedling establishment was vigorous
in seeds that were not scarified. Seed quality in bambara groundnut is highly
influenced by scarification and seed coat colour. The practical implications of
the study are that producers can use scarification to improve bambara groundnut
germination, however further research through seed enhancements is still needed
for seedling establishment under field conditions.
KEYWORDS
Germination, scarification, seed coat, seedling, vigour.
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