GERMINATION AND EARLY SEEDLING GROWTH OF AFRICAN STAR APPLE (CHRYSOPHYLLUM ALBIDUM)

Chrysophyllum albidum (African star apple) is an economically and nutritionally important tropical fruit tree. However, its propagation is constrained by seed dormancy and poor germination. This study evaluated the effects of different pre-treatment methods and environmental conditions on seed germination. The fruit of Chrysophyllum albidum was bought from Ibaka market in Akungba Akoko, Ondo state .The experiment was conducted in Plant Science and Biotechnology Laboratory. The seeds were extracted, washed and sundried. Seeds were subjected to water soaking (1–6 days), dry heat exposure (1, 2, 4 and 6 minutes), wet heat treatment (1, 2, 4, and 6 minutes), and mechanical scarification, under both light and dark conditions. Each treatment contains 50 seeds mixed with bits of thin foams inside plastic plate with cover. Germination was monitored, and daily germination of each treatment was scored for 3 months.The highest germination percentage (87%) was achieved with three-day water soaking under dark conditions. Two minutes of dry heat under light (67%) and two-day soaking under light (67%) also produced relatively high germination, while one-day soaking, one-minute dry heat under light, and scarification under light each yielded 60% germination. Conversely, wet heat treatments (1–6 minutes) and prolonged dry heat (6 minutes) resulted in complete loss of viability under both light and dark conditions. Based on this research, it was concluded that three-day water soaking in darkness represents the most effective pre-treatment for enhancing C. albidum seed germination and it’s seedlings performed excellently more than other treatments on the field. Wet heat and extended dry heat treatments are detrimental and should be avoided