Effects of Concentrated Acid and Hot Water Scarification Treatments on Germination Parameters of Tamarindus indica and Acacia arabica

Tamarinda (Tamarindus indica) and Indian Gum Arabica (Acacia Arabica) are two ornamental trees of beautiful shape, extensive shading, and tolerant to high temperatures, making them suitable alternatives for landscape design in warm- arid regions. Tamarinda and Indian Gum Arabica are commonly propagated by seed. However, seed physical dormancy causes delay in seed germination. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different scarification treatments on the germination parameters of Tamarinda and Indian Gum Arabica. A completely randomized design of three replications was employed. Results revealed that the highest tamarinda seed germination percentage, germination rate, length of root and stem were obtained from seeds treated with 98% concentrated sulphuric acid for a duration of 30 minutes. Also, results concerning Indian Gum Arabica indicated that seed dormancy was overcome by the seeds being boiled in water at 90?C as compared to the treatment involving 98% concentrated sulphuric acid. Boiling the seeds in water at 90?C for 5 seconds was recorded as the best treatment, while germination percentage of the seeds treated by 98 % concentrated sulphuric acid was observed to be low.