African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 3 (1), pp. 47-51, January 2004

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of soaking duration on germination and seedling growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill)

S. Sabongari* and B.L.Aliero

Department of Biological Sciences Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

*Corresponding author. E-mail: blaliero@yahoo.co.uk.

Accepted 12 October 2003

The effects of soaking duration on germination and seedling growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill) Roma VF, UC82B and Xina varieties were investigated. The treatments consisted of three soaking durations (12, 24, 36 h) and control replicated four times in a latin square design. Results indicated significant enhancement of germination by all soaking durations except for Xina variety where 36 h treatment showed no significant difference from the control. Maximum total germination (%) was obtained under 24 h treatment for all the seed varieties. Soaking durations of 12 and 24 h enhanced growth and dry matter accumulation for both Roma VF and UC82 B. The study has demonstrated the advantages of soaking seeds in water for about 24 h prior to sowing them in the field.

Key words: Seed, tomato, soaking duration, varieties, germination, seedling, growth.