Abstract

Tectona grandis (teak) is an economically important tree. It is a valuable tree whose wood is used in both shipping and carpentry industries. In this work we evaluated 11 treatments to assess the percentage of seed germination of T. grandis. The results showed that after 21 days, four treatments had greater germination percent when compared with the control. These treatments were, (i) when the seeds were exposed to sunlight for three days, 78% germination was observed (ii) the seeds were soaked in water for 72 h, 66% germination was observed (iii) the seeds were soaked in water for 12 h and dried for 12 h at a temperature range of between 22 and 45°C, 79% germination was observed, (iv) finally, the seeds were soaked in fast-flowing water for 24 h and exposed to sunlight for 24 h, 80% germination was observed. In this study we found that the best technique to stimulate germination is to soak the seeds for 24 h, and exposed them to sunlight for 24 h. In conclusion, the technique is easy to apply and also we can treat many seeds at the same time.

Key words: Tectona grandis, germination, seeds.