Investigations on the Germination Behavior of Wild Olive Seeds and the Nursery Establishment of the Germinants
1993
Legese Negash (Addis Abeba University, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia))
A method is now developed for the rapid germination of seeds of Olea europaea L. Subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex Dc.) Cifferi (synonym: Olea africana Mill, commonly known as Wild Olive). Decoated seeds obtained from ripe, deep-violet colored fruits germinated soon after collection and within 5-7 days. The mean final percentage germination (completed within 15 days) of water-imbibed seeds was 92.5 plus or minus 2.7 percent. In contrast, seeds sown without removing the hard seeds coats failed to germinate under laboratory conditions even after 2-3 months. The rate and the final percentage germination of seeds obtained from fruits that were 40-70 percent green-fleshed were significantly lower (p = 0.0005) than those obtained from ripe, completely violet fruits. Treating seeds obtained from ripe fruits with a solution of indole-3-acetic acid (10** (4) M) resulted in reduced rate and final percentage germination. Seedlings obtained from fresh seeds grew significantly faster (P = 0.005) than those obtained from 10-month-old seeds. From the results reported in this paper, it is concluded that: 1) the single most important factor inhibiting germination in seeds of Wild Olive is the presence of hard seed coats, and, 2) provided that the fruits are collected at their appropriate developmental stage and the hard seeds coats are carefully removed, no germination stimulators are required for obtaining maximum percentage germination.
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