Z. zanthoxyloides V. doniana P. curatellifolia seed germination

Desiccation tolerance and germination characteristics studies of seeds of three local species in Burkina Faso namely Parinari curatellifolia, Vitex doniana and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides have been carried out. Seeds moisture content at harvest was species dependant but decreased for all the 3 species from immature stage to mature stage. Fresh seeds of all three species regardless the maturity stage of fruits from which they were extracted did not germinate. After drying at ~ 5 % moisture content, seeds of Vitex doniana, sown without pre-treatment germinated at percentages of 4; 2 and 36% respectively for seeds extracted from green fruits, intermediate fruits and mature (black) fruits, while only seeds extracted from mature fruits of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides germinated with a percentage of 3 %. Like for fresh seeds, no germination was recorded for dried seeds of Parinari curatellifolia, regardless of fruits maturity stage seeds were extracted from. This difficult germination behavior of the three species did not allow us to conclude about the desiccation tolerance of their respective seeds.