[Effect of several methods of scarification and osmotic stress on seed germination of Robinia pseudoacacia L.]

The planting of several species adapted to forests areas in the Saharan Atlas would allow one to better fight against the desertification of the vegetation cover of these fragile areas. Thanks to its rapid growth on degraded soils, Robinia pseudoacacia L. has an advantage in the repopulation of these areas undergoing desertification. Operation of this large-scale tree requires good control of germination conditions and growth of plants. The scarification of the seeds of Robinia pseudoacacia L. is necessary to allow the absorption of water by the seeds. Our results show that mechanical scarification with sulphuric acid (75minutes), boiling water (90minutes) and scarification by microwaves (700W) (105seconds) give the best germination rates. The presence of PEG₆₀₀₀ in the imbibition's solutions reduces considerably the germination rate of the seeds of R. pseudoacacia L. A 70 % decrease in the optimal rate of germination is observed when the osmotic pressure of the imbibition solution is at -4.65 bar.