Effects of various pre-sowing treatments on invitro seed germination of Ceratoniasiliqua L.

The organic dormancy of Ceratonia seeds is associated with their water resistance, which means that Carob suffers from difficulty in natural regeneration. Before planting Carob seeds must be treated in order to disturb mechanical dormancy. The main reasons for the decline in genus Ceratonia L. are anthropogenic impact on natural ecosystems, as well as the uses of Ceratonia for many goals. This problem is aggravated by the fact that seedlings of Ceratonia in nature are very rare because of organic dormancy, and the distribution of carob occurs mainly with the help of seeds. The aim of this work was to study the methods of pre-sowing treatment of dormant Carob seeds. This study was conducted on a wild Carob genotype grown in Syria. Four different pre-sowing treatments were the following: soaking in boiling distilled water (70 °С) for 10 min; soaking in boiling distilled water (70 °С) for 10 min + soaking in distilled water for 24 h; acid scarification with sulphuric acid (H2SO4); acid scarification with sulphuric acid (H2SO4) + soaking in distilled water for 24 h. We applied and examined for their effectiveness stimulation of Carob seed germination. The results showed that seeds treated with sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and then soaked in distilled water for 24 h was the most effective method increasing the germination percentage by 98 % compared to untreated seeds 5 %.