Effect of acid pre-treatment and potting media on seed germination and early seedling growth of Albizia Lebbek

The study was conducted to assess the effect of acid pre-treatment and potting media on seed germination and early seedling growth of Albizia Lebbek. One hundred (100) seeds of Albizia lebbeck were respectively soaked in tetra-oxo-sulphate (vi) acid at 98% concentration for 2mins, 80% concentration for 5mins and 60% concentration for 8mins. After soaking, the seeds were removed, washed and rinsed in running tap water to remove the acid. The treated and the untreated seeds (control) were sown in a bowl previously filled with top soil and watered for germination to take place. Number of seeds germinated per day was monitored and recorded for each treatment. For early growth experiment, seedlings with relatively uniform height were selected from all the treatments and were transplanted into polythene pots filled with different soil media (top soil, river sand and sawdust). Growth parameters viz; (heights, stem diameter, number of leaves, and length of leaves,) were measured over a period of 12 weeks. The results on germination showed that 97, 91, 81 seeds germinated for 98%, 80%, 60% acid concentration respectively on the 5^th day of sowing while 27 seeds germinated for control on the 6^th day of sowing. Effect of the different sowing media on seedling growth parameters showed that seedlings grown in topsoil has the highest mean values of growth performance, while the least values were obtained for the seedlings grown in sawdust. It was recommended that top soil should be used by tree growers for production of quality seedlings of Albizia lebbeck.