The Effects of Pre-Sowing Treatments On Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) Seed Germination

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L) is native to tropical Africa and grows wild throughout the Sudan. It was introduced into India many years ago; it has often been reported as indigenous there also. The fruit was well known to the ancient Egyptians and to the Greeks in the 4th Century B.C. It is extensively cultivated in tropical areas of the world. Sometime during the sixteenth century, it was introduced into America and today is widely grown in Mexico. Tamarind is well adapted to semiarid tropical conditions, although it does well in many humid tropical areas of the world with seasonally high rainfall. Young trees are very susceptible to frost, but mature trees will withstand brief periods of 28° F without serious injury. Tamarind can be propagated vegetatively, but vegetative propagation by cuttings or air layering has not been very successful. Therefore, grafting is generally used commercially. For grafting, first of all we must obtained seedlings. Tamarind seeds are recalcitrant, therefore it is necessary to scarify or stratify; both applications have demonstrated faster germination. A study was carried out to investigate the effects of hot water, sulfuric acid, mechanical scarification, heat, and treatments on the germination of tamarind. Seeds were placed on moistened filter papers in 28 cm diameter Petri dishes under laboratory condition for germination. Seeds of tamarind (10 seeds per Petri dish) with four replicates per treatment were used. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate different treatments (e.g. mechanical scarification, hot water and sulfuric acid concentration) on tamarind seed germination and to observe if this will improve germination rates. Key words: Tamarind, seed, scarification, hot water, germination