JOURNAL RESUME

EFFECTS OF HORMONES APPLICATIONS ON THE GERMINATION OF SIX POPULATIONS OF GARCINIA KOLA HECKEL (GUTTIFERAE) SEEDS

INTRODUCTION

1.      Background

Present study was carried out to investigate laboratory germination responses of six collections of Garcinia kola seeds to six different hormonal pre-germination treatments. This consisted of soaking seeds for three days in cool distilled water (control), in cool distilled water supplemented with 10-4 M of either naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), benzylaminopurin (BAP), kinetin (Kin) or gibberellic aicid 3 (GA3). The results showed that the pre-germination treatments had profound effects on the phenology of Garcinia kola seeds germination. Multiple shoots, multiple roots and callus formation were induced from seeds soaked in benzylaminopurin, naphthaleneacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid solutions, respectively. Analysis of variance showed a significant (p < 0.01) effect of seed collection on the germination velocity, indicating the variability in seed dormancy among collections. Although the rate of germination was higher in seeds treated with NAA, none of the seed treatments significantly enhanced germination when compared with the control.

From that statement I can  review of Garcinia kola (bitter kola, a name sometimes also used for G. afzelii) is a species of flowering plant in the Clusiaceae or Guttiferae family. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Garcinia kola or bitter kola is a tree that grows in the rain forests of west Africa. The fruit, seeds, nuts and bark of the plant have been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat ailments from coughs to fever. According to a report from the Center For International Forestry Research, garcinia kola trade is still important to the tribes and villages in Nigeria. As with any herb, never consume garcinia kola without first discussing its use and benefits with your physician, especially if you are currently being treated for other medical conditions or are on any medications.

2.         Benefit Research

Results of this study can be useful for:

a.      To know the Effects of hormones applications on the germination of six populations of Garcinia kola Heckel (Guttiferae) seeds

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six seed collections were taken from six locations in Cameroon, among others: Loum (Lou) of the province of Littoral, Yokadouma (Yok) from the eastern province, Kumba (Kum) of the province of the southwest, Bafia (Baf) of the province of the central part , Sangmelima (San) from the southern provinces and Mamfe (Mam) of the southwestern part of the province.

The sixth collection of the seeds that will be used are harvested from the same tree at each location. Seeds harvested in July 2006. Once harvested, the seeds surface sterilized with sodium hypochlorite (1%) for 10 minutes, followed by a thorough rinsing with plain water and dried aired. After drying, seed viability test using tetrazolium (TZ method),

Six treatments given to each collection. The treatment consists of soaking the seeds for three days in cold water (control), immersion in cold water supplemented with 10-4 M Gibberellic acid (GA3), naphthalene acetic (NAA), 2,4-diklorofenoksi acid (2,4 D) , Benzylaminopurine (BAP) or kinetin (Kin). The amount of hormone concentrations and the length of time given has been determined in experiments pedahuluan. In each treatment used each 25 seeds of each collection, then the treatment was repeated 4 times.

After administering the treatment, then the seeds are washed and placed in a sterile petri dish that has a diameter of 20 cm, which is covered by two sheets of paper watman previously been moistened with water. Then, the seeds are stored at room temperature. Paper watman cultivated always be moist, so it needs to be watered if necessary. Seed is considered to have germinated when the roots or shoots have emerged.

Percent germination was recorded at two weeks intervals for 30 weeks, and the germination index (GI) was calculated as follow: GI = (germination % ÷ viability %) X 100. Rate of germination was estimated by using a modified Timson’s index of germination velocity: germination velocity = ΣGI/t, where GI is the germination index at two weeks intervals and t is the total germination period (in weeks) (Khan and Ungar, 1997; Zia and Khan, 2004). The maximum value possible for our data using this index was 50 (i.e., 1500/30). The higher the value, the more rapid the germination.

Germination data were transformed into arcsin values before a statistical analysis was performed using statistical software package GraphPad Prism Version 3.02 for Windows. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine variability among collection and treatment means, and a Bonferroni test was used (P<0.05) to determine significant differences between

RESULTS

1.      Phenology of germination

Seeds  of Germination from the treatment given to the pre-germination GA3 showed protrusion of radicle and shoot apex at both opposite ends of the oval-shaped seeds, followed by the induction of roots both in the bottom of the shoots (Figure 1A). Seed treated with NAA showed a single root, thick and branching appear first at one end of the seed, followed 2-4 weeks later with buds protrusion at the other end (Figure 1B). However, there are also some formation of roots (2-5 pieces) were observed showed that the roots are not formed thick and branched (Figure 1C). For seed treated with BAP or Kinetin, shoots appeared at one end of the seed, followed two weeks later by the appearance of roots at the bottom of the shoots (Figure 1D). In the case of treatment with BAP, 50 percent of the seed that germinated develop one to three additional shoots (Figure 1E). Seed treated with 2,4-D swells and 70 percent of them develop undifferentiated tissue (callus) of the endosperm (Fig. 1F). The protrusion of shoots or roots that gat san late formation and a very small percentage.

 

Figure 1: Effect of different pre-germination treatments on Garcinia kola seeds germination phenology.

2.   Rate of germination

This rate of germination we can see the Analysis of variance indicated significant individual influences of seed collections (Table 1) and treatments (Table 2) on the germination rate. Seed collections could be separated in two main groups according to their germination rate: Group A comprising Lou, Yok, and San collections whose seed germination rates were significantly lower than those of Group B comprising Baf and Mam collections which performed best. Kum collection belonged to both groups since its index of germination velocity was not different neither to those of group A nor to those of group B (Fig. 2). When considering the six collections taken all round, although the germination rate was higher with seeds treated with NAA, none of the treatments studied significantly enhanced germination compared with the control (Fig. 3). Comparatively to other treatments, 2,4-D treatment significantly slowed germination.

CONCLUSION

This study I can divided by:

1.      Multiple roots,

2.      Multiple shoots and

3.      Callus formation could be induced in Garcinia kola seeds, by treatment with NAA, BAP and 2,4-D respectively

This developmental pattern is being reported for the first time from germinating seeds. These results are an indication of the regeneration potential of the tissues of this plant,