Pre-sowing treatments for a better germination of Myrianthus holstii seeds

The cultivation of the indigenous fruit and food security tree, Myrianthus holstii, is seriously constrained by its seed dormancy, change in land use and overexploitation, decreasing its wild population and limiting its on-farm planting in Rwanda. Therefore, we determined the effects of different pre-sowing treatments on the germination and seedling growth of M. holstii to promote its domestication in Rwanda, using mechanical nicking of seeds, boiling seeds in water for 5 min and sulphuric acid (98%) scarification for 15 and 30 min. The shortest acid-scarification produced the highest germination (93%) within 6 weeks after sowing and seedlings with longer heights and more leaves within 3 months, comparable to mechanical nicking, indicating that the two techniques are effective in improving the germination and seedling growth of M. holstii. However, mechanical scarification was recommended to small-scale farmers, since it is eco-friendly, economical and user-friendly to contribute to M. holstii domestication in Rwanda.