Germination Assessment for Five Species of Acacia in Jibala, Saudi Arabia

Author(s): Gallab Bander Alotaibi, Ibrahim Mohamed Aref

Most Acacia species have a hard seed coat and therefore have become more resistant to unsuitable environmental conditions. The study aimed to assess the effects of different treatments on seed germination collected from five species of Acacia in Jibala, Al-Dawadmy, a city located in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the highest germination percentage was 90.8%, with scarification treatment, while the lowest germination percentage was 30.9%, utilising a boiling treatment lasting seven minutes. Among the studied species, the seeds of A. ehrenbergiana produced the highest percentage of germination and the lowest germination time average among the studied species, while the lowest germination percentage and the highest germination time averages were found in A. nubica. Concluding, this study proved that scarification was the most effective technique for increasing germination rates, compared to other treatments.

Acacia Species, Scarification, Boiling, Treatment, Socking, Germination

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