COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Caraga State University

Ampayon, Butuan City

Title: The Effect of Different Treatment Methods on the Germination rate of

Diospyros blancoi seeds

Author: MERASOL A. LIZA

KRIS IRA MAY LOZADA

SEJARA T. MABULAY

NICOLE R. MANABAR

HONEY MAE RODRIGUEZ

College of Forestry and Environmental Science

Caraga State University

Ampayon, Butuan City

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Diospyros blancoi or commonly known as “Mabolo” is an evergreen tree species of high-

quality wood that belongs to the Ebenaceae (Ebony) family. Its wood is commonly known in the

Philippines as Kamagong, and it is the fruit that goes by the name of mabolo. Kamagong is

considered a highly productive tree. It is popularly called “iron-wood” and is widely used for furniture

and carved into hair combs and knife handles (Bilton, 2012). It is also indigenous to the low and

medium altitude forests of the Philippines, and is commonly cultivated for its fruit and even more

as a shade tree for roadsides. For the propagation of Diospyros blancoi, it can be performed
through seeds or grafting. However, it is usually performed through seeds, which provides genetic

variability and late onset of production.

Seed is the key element of plant production that exercises a great influence on the

success and failures of both natural and artificial regeneration. Seed germination, in turn, is a critical

stage in the life cycle of plants and often controls population dynamics, with major practical

implications. The major factors that affect seed germination are water, temperature, oxygen, and

seed dormancy. For a seed to germinate, it requires a moderate temperature around 25-30 degrees

Celsius and different seeds require different optimum temperatures.

Many tree seeds have hard seed coats which are impermeable to water and air, or which

prevent the emergence of seed parts. Hence, pre-germination treatments are necessary to shorten

the germination period required to reach optimum rate.

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is to develop methods to increase germination percentage,

shorten germination time, provide more rate germination, and result in more efficient seed

propagation techniques for Diospyros blancoi seeds.

Objectives

The general objective of the study is to find out what treatment method is best for the germination

rate of Diospyros blancoi seeds.

The specific objectives are:

1. To investigate the effect and influence of different treatment methods on the germination

rate of Diospyros blancoi seeds.

2. To determine possible factors affecting the germination percentage of D. blancoi seeds.

The timber of Diospyros blancoi is one of the most expensive kinds of wood available in the

market as it is found in the Philippines exclusively. Unfortunately, some species are now heavily

threatened due to their over-exploitation, and may soon become extinct in the wild. Since it is now

classified as a critically endangered tree in the Philippines (DENR DAO 2007-1), we need to protect

it and ensure its sustainability by planting more Kamagong seedlings.

However, this tree grows slowly to a height of about thirty feet. The growth rate of seedlings

is also quite slow, sometimes less than a foot a year. It takes 3 to 4 years from seed before trees

would begin to bear and it is usually propagated by seed taking up to 24 days to germinate. Thus,

this study aims to hasten the seed germination process of Diospyros blancoi seeds with the

application of seed treatment methods.

Hypotheses

H0: There is no significant effect of different treatment methods on the germination rate of

Diospyros blancoi seeds.

H1: There is a significant effect of different treatment methods on the germination rate of

Diospyros blancoi seeds.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Seeds are considered dormant when they are placed under conditions favorable for

growth, yet fail to germinate. According to Osborne (1981), dormancy, is an important mechanism

to enhance survival by delaying germination until conditions in the external environment are

conductive to active growth. Germination may be delayed for days, weeks, months or even years

but seed pre-treatment can ensure the germination speed and it also guarantees that germination

would be quick and homogeneous (Azad et al., 2011).

ensure rapid and uniform seedling establishment, and shorten the time of exposure of potted seeds

to pests and other stresses. According to Alamgir and Hossain (2005a), nursery techniques with

appropriate pre-sowing treatments is the only way to increase germination rate and to save the

economically valuable species from being extinct.

Azad et al. (2011) conducted a study about the effects of different pre-sowing

treatments on seed germination percentage and growth performance of Acacia auriculiformis. The

result of their study revealed that the highest germination success rate was found 83% in hot water

treatment followed by 78% in scarification with sand paper, and 75% with immersion of H2SO4. It

has also been suggested that hot water plays a role in breaking the dormancy of hard coated seeds

(Singh et al., 2019). However, the decision to treat seeds with hot water varies greatly. While many

types of seeds do benefit from soaking in hot water, others may suffer from the process. This

argument is supported by the findings of Singh et al. (2019) who indicated that hot water may tend

to be detrimental to enzymatic activities at higher temperatures when used as pre-treatment.

In the study conducted by Asif et al. (2020), their study revealed that abrasion with

sandpaper and side cutting were the most effective methods to break seed dormancy in both

species, while scalding in actively boiling water for 1 minute, overnight soaking and different

concentrations of H2SO4 gave low to zero seed germination. Based on the positive effects of

scarification, it was concluded that seed dormancy in both species was due to water impermeability

of the seed coat.

Coconut water can also be used to improve the germination rate of seeds and is the

cheapest source of nutrients, freely accessible and environmentally friendly. A study conducted by

Origenes and Lapitan (2020) proves that soaking the seeds in coconut water can shortened the

number of days required for germination to occur. The result of their study revealed that D. discolor

seeds subjected with coconut water either 100% or 50% enhanced germination, seedling height,

collar diameter, number of leaves, leaf measurements and root length.

Research Design

There are five (5) treatments in the study of which Diospyros blancoi seeds will be treated

as follows: a) tap water treatment, b) boiling water treatment, c) coconut water treatment, d)

mechanical scarification, and e) control (no treatment, sow dry seed). These treatments will be

distributed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four (4) replications and each replicates

will consist of 30 seeds, making a total of 600 seeds.

TIMELINE

Dates Tasks

December 3 - 5, 2021  Brainstorming for topic selection

 Find and record existing literature

 Gather informations

December 6 – 12, 2021  Organize ideas

December 12 - 13, 2021  Narrow down sources and write notes

December 14 - 19, 2021  Work on chapter structure

December 19 - 20, 2021  Perform the experiment

December 20 - January 20, 2022  Data gathering

January 20 - 30, 2022  Draft, revise, and fill the gaps

January 31- February 5, 2022  Final editing

February 7, 2022  Submission

The study is expected to provide the effects of the different treatment methods in

germinating Diospyros blancoi seeds. This study will also provide informations about the result for

the five treatment methods: tap water, boiling water, coconut water, mechanical scarification, and

control. This study can also identify which methods could easily get the seeds be germinated faster.

Moreover, it will show the possible results affecting on the methods it used.

REFERENCES

Origenes, M. G., & Lapitan, R. L. (2020). Effect of Coconut Water on Pre-Sowing Treatments

Additive on Seed Germination and Initial Seedlings Growth Performance of Kamagong

(Diospyros discolor). Asian Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry, 6(4), 58-71.

https://doi.org/10.9734/ajraf/2020/v6i430116

Azad et al. Effect of different pre-sowing treatments on seed germination percentage and growth

performance of Acacia auriculiformis. Journal of Forestry Research 22, 183 (2011).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-011-0147-y

Asif M.J., Ali A., Mazhar M.Z., Tanvir A., Zia B., Anmbreen I., Anjum M.Z., Mahr M.S. (2020):

Effect of different pretreatments on seed germination of Prosopis juliflora and Dalbergia sissoo: a

step towards mutation breeding. J. For. Sci., 66: 80–87.

https://doi.org/10.17221/64/2019-JFS

Bewley J.D. (1997): Seed germination and dormancy. Plant Cell, 9: 1055–

1066. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.9.7.1055
Martins CC, Camara ATR, Machado CG, Nakagawa J. Methods of breaking dormancy for seeds

of Stryphnodendron. Acta Sci., Agron. [online]. 2008;30(3):381-385. ISSN 1807-8621. Available:

https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v30i3.354

Philstar Global. Diospyros philippensis (Desr.) Gurke

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