Germination Study and Monitoring in the Nursery of Young Seedlings of Garcinia mangostana L.

Abstract

Mangosteen tree (Garcinia mangostana L.) is a plant of the Clusiaceae family cultivated for its particular taste and for its excellent medicinal properties. However, the vegetative propagation of the plant by cuttings or grafting being difficult to achieve, seed germination remains the main means of production used. This study was therefore initiated with the aim of determining the influence of three factors namely the type of seed used as seed, the mass of the seed and the soil used as a substrate on the germination parameters and on the growth of seedlings in nursery in Côte d'Ivoire. To do this, the germination parameters of seeds that received three different pretreatments (wasteland seeds, dried seeds and cold stored seeds), seeds of different masses (less than 1 g and more than 2 g) as well as seeds germinated on several substrates (Petri dish, forest soil, lowland soil and construction sand) were evaluated. The results obtained showed that the germination of the mangosteen seed is significantly influenced by the three factors studied. The best time, speed and germination rate were obtained with fresh seeds and seeds of masses greater than 2 g. As for the type of substrate, the highest germination rate was obtained with the seeds germinated in the Petri dishes (99%). Regarding the monitoring of seedlings in the nursery, those from seeds with a mass greater than 2 g evolving on lowland soil recorded the best growth performance.