GERMINATION AND GROWTH RESPONSE OF VACHELLIA NILOTICA AS AFFECTED BY MOISTURE AND THICKNESS OF SEED PALLETIZATION

Abstract

Low rainfall and high temperatures hinder successful tree plantation establishment in arid and semi-arid regions. Poor soil fertility and seed predation limit seed germination and seedling development. One protective and moisture-retaining technique is seed pelletization (seed balls). This study attempts to improve early plant establishment through seed ball technology. The seed ball technology and moisture combination's impact on the germination and growth of Vachellia nilotica was examined in this study with control (T₀), 1.0 cm (T₁), 1.5 cm (T₂), 2.0 cm (T₃), and 2.5 cm (T₄) seed ball thickness, along with 5, 10, and 15 mL of irrigation. This study was conducted at the Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, using a completely randomized design (CRD) with factorial arrangements. The plant growth parameters were analyzed using two-way ANOVA. The study evaluated the effect of irrigation levels and the use of seed balls of different thicknesses on seedling growth and biomass production. The results show that shoot length, root length, stem diameter, and dry biomass were significantly influenced by these factors (p < 0.05). Treatment T₃ (2.0 cm seed ball thickness and 10 mL irrigation) had the highest values of shoot length (10.52 cm), root length (23.98 cm), stem diameter (0.138 cm), and total dry biomass (0.337 g). However, combining thicker (2.5 cm) seed balls and greater amounts of irrigation led to poorer growth. Among the treatments, T₃ was the best, and thus, it is concluded that a seed ball thickness of 2 cm with irrigation of 10 mL is best for enhancing the germination, seedling growth & biomass of Vachellia nilotica. The study demonstrated that seed ball technology has potential for use in tree planting and ecological restoration in dry and degraded areas.