TITLE:
Effect of Sulphuric Acid Scarification on Seed Germination of 11 Wild Legume Species from the Senegal River Delta
AUTHORS:
Mamadou Moustapha Diokhane, Anicet Georges-Bruno Manga, César Bassène
KEYWORDS:
Seed Dormancy, Wild Legumes, H2SO4, Chemical Scarification, Senegal River Delta
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Seed dormancy is a major constraint that limits the use of wild legumes as green manures. This study assessed the effect of sulphuric acid scarification on the germination of 11 wild legume species collected from the Senegal River Delta. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions using a completely randomised factorial design with three replicates. Seeds were subjected to two treatments: an untreated control and chemical scarification with concentrated H2SO4 (98%). The measured parameters included final germination rate (FGR), average daily germination rate (ADGR), dormancy rate (DR), and mortality rate (MR). Overall, chemical scarification had a negative effect on germination: treated seeds exhibited lower FGR and ADGR (27.6% and 1.4 seeds day−1) than the controls (53.9% and 2.7 seeds day−1; P Rhynchosia minima (+13.4%), Macroptilium lathyroides (+6.0%), and Aeschynomene indica (+0.7%). These findings suggest that sulphuric acid scarification is suitable only for these three species, while gentler dormancy-breaking methods should be considered for the others.