An experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi （KNUST） Ghana from September, 2009 to April, 20...An experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi （KNUST） Ghana from September, 2009 to April, 2010, to determine the most appropriate drying method, as a post harvest practice, that would ensure high percentage germination ofAnnona squamosa seeds and its subsequent effect on seedling growth. The seeds were sun-dried, air-dried under shade or kept in the fresh state. Five treatments were used, namely, Freshly Sown seeds （Treatment 1, control）, Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for one day （Treatment 2）; Seeds Sun-Dried for one day （Treatment 3）; Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for three consecutive days （Treatment 4）; Seeds Sun-Dried for three consecutive days （Treatment 5）. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design （CRD） and replicated three times. Drying of Annona squamosa seeds had significant effect on earliness and number of seeds germinated. Air drying under shade and sun-drying for three consecutive days improved earliness to germination （26 days after sowing） and percent total germination but air-drying under shade had better effect on total seed germination, achieving 90% germination in 42 days after sowing. Furthermore, the prevailing ambient temperature of 30 ℃-32 ℃ enhanced germination of Annona squamosa seeds. The study concluded that for optimum germination, seeds of Annona squamosa should be either air-dried or sun-dried for three consecutive days and be incubated in an ambient temperature range of 30 ℃-32 ℃. In terms of growth, seedling growth in leaf production was better from seeds sun-dried for three consecutive days.展开更多
文摘An experiment was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi （KNUST） Ghana from September, 2009 to April, 2010, to determine the most appropriate drying method, as a post harvest practice, that would ensure high percentage germination ofAnnona squamosa seeds and its subsequent effect on seedling growth. The seeds were sun-dried, air-dried under shade or kept in the fresh state. Five treatments were used, namely, Freshly Sown seeds （Treatment 1, control）, Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for one day （Treatment 2）; Seeds Sun-Dried for one day （Treatment 3）; Seeds Air-Dried under Shade for three consecutive days （Treatment 4）; Seeds Sun-Dried for three consecutive days （Treatment 5）. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design （CRD） and replicated three times. Drying of Annona squamosa seeds had significant effect on earliness and number of seeds germinated. Air drying under shade and sun-drying for three consecutive days improved earliness to germination （26 days after sowing） and percent total germination but air-drying under shade had better effect on total seed germination, achieving 90% germination in 42 days after sowing. Furthermore, the prevailing ambient temperature of 30 ℃-32 ℃ enhanced germination of Annona squamosa seeds. The study concluded that for optimum germination, seeds of Annona squamosa should be either air-dried or sun-dried for three consecutive days and be incubated in an ambient temperature range of 30 ℃-32 ℃. In terms of growth, seedling growth in leaf production was better from seeds sun-dried for three consecutive days.
