Seeds'germination of Four Traditionnal Leafy Vegetables in Benin (LFT)

Many African traditional leafy vegetables such as Acmella uliginosa, Ceratotheca sesamoides, Justicia tenella and Sesamum radiatum have been under domestication in the rural areas. Experiments were conducted in Benin to test the germination ability of their seeds. The seeds were subjected to 4 treatments and seeds without treatment served as control. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with 3 replications. With a germination rate above 80%, seeds of J. tenella did not demonstrate seed dormancy. Similarly, the germination rate of A. uliginosa seeds without pappus was above 85% unlike the seeds with pappus whose germination rate was 15%. The germination of the seeds of S. radiatum and C. sesamoides was very low (< 15%). However, the seeds of S. radiatum with low water content (8.77%) and immersed in water for 24 hours gave the best germination rate (50%), whereas under the same conditions with C. sesamoides no germination was observed. The seeds of C. sesamoides and S. radiatum were dormant. Meanwhile, to ensure better germination of A. uliginosa, the pappus must be removed from its seeds.