Dormancy breaking in Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius) seeds

Abstract

Jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius L.) is an important African leafy veg etable in Kenya. It is highly nutritious and has commercial importance. Jute mallow seeds exhibit dormancy, reducing seed germination and adversely affecting field performance, but limited research has been done on appropri ate dormancy breaking methods. In this study, efficacy of various dormancy breaking methods was tested. Treatments included mechanical scarification, soaking in boiling water for 5 min, leaching, soaking in water for 24 h at room temperature, applying wood ash paste on the seeds, soaking in 1% KNO3 for 1 min, and a control. Analysis of variance and Scheffe's multiple comparison procedure were used to identify methods that significantly dif fered in seed germination from the control. The most effective treatment was mechanical scarification, followed by leaching and lastly soaking in hot water. The rest of the methods did not significantly differ from the control. It is therefore recommended that farmers use mechanical scarification to break dormancy in jute mallow seeds before sowing.