Breaking Seed Dormancy in Pili (Canarium ovatum): Efficacy of Hot Water, Cold Water, and Scarification Treatments
Keywords:
percentage germination, percentage germinative energy, percentage germinative capacity, percent survival, pre-germination treatmentsAbstract
Pili (Canarium ovatum) is an indigenous tree species in the Philippines valued for its edible nuts, oil, and economic importance. However, propagation of Pili is often limited by seed dormancy, which delays germination and reduces seedling production efficiency. Limited information is available regarding effective pre-germination treatments that can improve the germination performance of Pili seeds. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different pre-germination treatments on the germination performance of Pili seeds. Specifically, the study assessed percent survival, percentage germination, germinative energy, and germinative capacity under four treatments: control (untreated), hot water soaking, cold water soaking, and scarification. A total of 320 seeds were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments replicated four times. Hot water soaking involved immersing seeds in 100°C water for 15 seconds, cold water soaking involved soaking seeds in 10–20°C water for 12 hours, while scarification was performed through manual nicking using secateurs.
Results showed that hot water soaking produced the highest seed survival, germination percentage, germinative energy, and germinative capacity among all treatments tested. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed highly significant differences among treatments for percent survival (F = 804.60, p < 0.0000), percentage germination (F = 3092.74, p < 0.0000), and germinative capacity (F = 9720.18, p < 0.0000). The findings indicate that hot water soaking is the most effective pre-germination treatment for breaking seed dormancy and improving the germination performance of Pili seeds.
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