Effect of pre-treatments on the germination and early seedlings growth of Acacia auriculiformis Cunn. Ex. Benth

Acacia auriculiformis Cunn. Ex. Benth is a multipurpose wattle tree with diverse environmental and ecological significance. However, seeds dormancy and low germination percentage are problems for its use in agro-forestry practices. Investigations were carried out on the effect of pre - treatment on the germination and early seedlings growth of A. auriculiformis. Germination were observed in seeds pre-treated with sulphuric acid at 7days after sowing (DAS) while seeds under the nitric acid and control treatment germinated at 8 and 9 DAS respectively. Results, shown that pre - sowing treatments have positive influence on seed germination; seeds treated with Conc. H2SO4 for 5 to 10 min had the highest percentage germination of 92 - 96% compared with 42% for the control treatment. The effect of different pre-treatment test, their interaction and time of exposure significantly (P < 0.05) influenced seedlings growth parameters. The highest mean shoot length and stem diameter values of 5.92 cm and 0.29 mm respectively were recorded among seedlings that originated from seeds pre - treated with sulphuric acid for 5 and 10 min. Hence, dormancy in A. auriculiformis seeds can be removed by pre - treatment with sulphuric acid (5 and10 min) with enhanced percentage germination and growth performances.   Key words: A. auriculiformis, seeds, pre-treatment, germination, growth.