Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia
<i>Acacia</i> species are important trees in arid ecosystems due to their diverse ecological roles, such as providing vegetation cover, community structures, food resources for animals, soil stabilization, and erosion prevention. However, in the Arabian Peninsula, <i>Acacia</i&g...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Seeds |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1024/4/2/22 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849425306525368320 |
|---|---|
| author | Ali A. Alzandi Ibrahim M. Aref Nels Grevstad |
| author_facet | Ali A. Alzandi Ibrahim M. Aref Nels Grevstad |
| author_sort | Ali A. Alzandi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Acacia</i> species are important trees in arid ecosystems due to their diverse ecological roles, such as providing vegetation cover, community structures, food resources for animals, soil stabilization, and erosion prevention. However, in the Arabian Peninsula, <i>Acacia</i> species are declining due to climate change, overgrazing, and fuelwood harvesting. This study evaluates the effectiveness of various pre-sowing treatments—sulfuric acid soaking and tap and hot water soaking—on breaking seed dormancy to enhance germination in nine <i>Acacia</i> species native to the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia. The key germination indicators assessed were the mean germination time (MGT), germination percentage (GP), and germination index (GI). Sulfuric acid treatments for 10–15 min reduced the MGT and increased the GP for <i>A. etbaica</i>, <i>A. hamoulosa</i>, and <i>A. tortilis</i>, while <i>A. origena</i> responded best to 1 min of hot water soaking. Conversely, <i>A. asak</i>, <i>A. ehrenbergiana,</i> and <i>A. johnwoodii</i> showed little to no germination improvement with treatment and <i>A. oerfota</i> and <i>A. gerrardii</i> showed no germination improvement, indicating the need for alternative methods. These findings indicate that the seed germination requirements vary within <i>Acacia</i> spp. from the same geographic region and similar climatic conditions. Further work is required for five of the species tested to develop better seed germination techniques, given the potential utility of <i>Acacia</i> spp., in ecological restoration and sustainable land management in arid regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-711eb55fee514b77a3ee289f19bb60d9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2674-1024 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Seeds |
| spelling | doaj-art-711eb55fee514b77a3ee289f19bb60d92025-08-20T03:29:48ZengMDPI AGSeeds2674-10242025-04-01422210.3390/seeds4020022Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi ArabiaAli A. Alzandi0Ibrahim M. Aref1Nels Grevstad2Department of Plant Production, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Plant Production, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO 80204, USA<i>Acacia</i> species are important trees in arid ecosystems due to their diverse ecological roles, such as providing vegetation cover, community structures, food resources for animals, soil stabilization, and erosion prevention. However, in the Arabian Peninsula, <i>Acacia</i> species are declining due to climate change, overgrazing, and fuelwood harvesting. This study evaluates the effectiveness of various pre-sowing treatments—sulfuric acid soaking and tap and hot water soaking—on breaking seed dormancy to enhance germination in nine <i>Acacia</i> species native to the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia. The key germination indicators assessed were the mean germination time (MGT), germination percentage (GP), and germination index (GI). Sulfuric acid treatments for 10–15 min reduced the MGT and increased the GP for <i>A. etbaica</i>, <i>A. hamoulosa</i>, and <i>A. tortilis</i>, while <i>A. origena</i> responded best to 1 min of hot water soaking. Conversely, <i>A. asak</i>, <i>A. ehrenbergiana,</i> and <i>A. johnwoodii</i> showed little to no germination improvement with treatment and <i>A. oerfota</i> and <i>A. gerrardii</i> showed no germination improvement, indicating the need for alternative methods. These findings indicate that the seed germination requirements vary within <i>Acacia</i> spp. from the same geographic region and similar climatic conditions. Further work is required for five of the species tested to develop better seed germination techniques, given the potential utility of <i>Acacia</i> spp., in ecological restoration and sustainable land management in arid regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1024/4/2/22<i>Acacia</i> speciesseed germinationdormancy breakingecological restorationarid ecosystemsseed coat |
| spellingShingle | Ali A. Alzandi Ibrahim M. Aref Nels Grevstad Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia Seeds <i>Acacia</i> species seed germination dormancy breaking ecological restoration arid ecosystems seed coat |
| title | Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full | Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia |
| title_short | Effectiveness of Pre-Sowing Treatments on Seed Germination of Nine <i>Acacia</i> Species from Al-Baha Region in Saudi Arabia |
| title_sort | effectiveness of pre sowing treatments on seed germination of nine i acacia i species from al baha region in saudi arabia |
| topic | <i>Acacia</i> species seed germination dormancy breaking ecological restoration arid ecosystems seed coat |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-1024/4/2/22 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aliaalzandi effectivenessofpresowingtreatmentsonseedgerminationofnineiacaciaispeciesfromalbaharegioninsaudiarabia AT ibrahimmaref effectivenessofpresowingtreatmentsonseedgerminationofnineiacaciaispeciesfromalbaharegioninsaudiarabia AT nelsgrevstad effectivenessofpresowingtreatmentsonseedgerminationofnineiacaciaispeciesfromalbaharegioninsaudiarabia |