Pregermination treatments
Suggested pregermination treatments for key nitrogen fixing tree and shrub species that tolerate acid soils.
Species |
Treatment |
Seeds/kg |
Acacia aneura | B 1 min, S | 75,000–80,000 |
Acacia angustissima | B, S | 90,000–100,000 |
Acacia auriculiformis | B 30 sec, S | 30,000–90,000 |
Acacia holosericea | B 1 min, S | 70,000–80,000 |
Acacia koa | B 2 min, S | 8,500–20,000 |
Acacia mangium | B 30 sec, S | 80,000–100,000 |
Acacia mearnsii | B 5 mins | 48,000–85,000 |
Acacia melanoxylon | B, S | 60,000–100,000 |
Albizia lebbeck | B 3 sec | 6,000–16,000 |
Albizia saman | B 2 min, C, S | 6,000–8,000 |
Alnus acuminata | R | 200,000–2,000,000 |
Alnus glutinosa | R | |
Calliandra calothrysus | B | 14,000–19,000 |
Casuarina cunninghamiana | R | 1,800,000 |
Casuarina junghuhniana | R | 1,000,000–1,600,000 |
Casuarina sumatrana | R | |
Chamaecytisus palmensis | B 1 min | |
Cedrelinga catenaeformis | B | |
Dalbergia nigra | C | 10,000–30,000 |
Desmodium gyroides | R | 500,000 |
Desmodium nicaraguense | R | 500,000 |
Desmodium velutinum | R | 500,000 |
Enterolobium cyclocarpum | C, S | 800–2,000 |
Enterolobium contortisiliquum | C, B | |
Erythrina abyssinica | C | |
Erythrina berteroana | C | |
Erythrina poeppigiana | C | 3,000–5,000 |
Erythrina fusca | C | |
Erythrina variegata | B 10 min | |
Flemingia macrophylla | R | 50,000–80,000 |
Gliricidia sepium | C, B, or S | 7,000–12,000 |
Inga acrocephala | R | |
Inga codonantha | R | |
Inga edulis | R | |
Inga marginata | R | |
Inga punctata | R | |
Inga spectibilis | R | |
Mimosa scabrella | B 3 mins | 60,000–90,000 |
Mimosa caesalpinaefolia | B | |
Paraserianthes falcataria | B 10 mins | 40,000–50,000 |
Pithecellobium dulce | R | |
Prosopis juliflora | B, S | |
Pterocarpus indicus | R | 1,500–2,000 |
Robinia pseudoacacia | B 2 min, S | 35,000–50,000 |
Stryphnodendron adstringens | B | |
Stryphnodendron excelsum | B |
B: Pour boiling water over seeds (about five times as much water as the volume of the seeds), stir gently for 1 to 2 minutes (or as specified), and then soak in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.
C: Soak seeds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.
S: Nick the round end of each seed with a file, knife, or nail clipper or rub the round end on a rough surface such as cement until the white interior is barely visible. Soak the treated seeds in cold water for 12 hours.
R: Recalcitrant seed; no treatment needed.
Source:
Briscoe, C.B., S.M. de Faria, V. Lambert, G. Minnick, and R. Russo. 1996. Growing Nitrogen Fixing Trees in Acid Soils. In: M.H. Powell (ed) Nitrogen Fixing Trees for Acid Soils - A Field Manual. Winrock International, Morrilton (AR), USA. p. 22.
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