Effect of Endocarp Removal on Breaking Dormancy and Germination of Bitter
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/fp9fjs22Keywords:
Bitter almond seeds, Endocarp, Germination percentage, Growth traits.Abstract
This study was conducted in a farm in Abu-Hadi area, south of Sirte city, during the growing season (2022), aiming to study the effect of removing the endocarp of bitter almond seeds Prunus amygdalus L. on germination percentage, germination speed, and vegetative and root growth traits. The experiment included two treatments: the first was non-removed endocarp seeds, and the second was removed endocarp seeds. The study was carried out as a factorial experiment according to a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 10 replications per treatment. The results showed a significant effect of endocarp removal, where removed endocarp seeds significantly surpassed in germination percentage and root growth traits. The removal treatment recorded the highest significant values for germination percentage, number of roots, root length, and fresh and dry weight of the root system, while non-removed seeds recorded the highest significant value only for germination speed during the study season. The results also indicated the superiority of removed endocarp seeds in most vegetative growth traits, where they recorded the highest significant values for shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight, and leaf area, while non-removed seeds were superior only in stem diameter trait, recording the highest significant value during the study season. Based on the obtained results, the study recommends removing the endocarp before planting almond seeds in order to obtain vigorous seedlings with a good root system, which will positively reflect on the success rate of budding in the future.
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References
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