Comparative evaluation of the germination capability of 
three morphologically different wild genotypes of 
Corchorus olitorius L. from Northern KwaZulu-Natal, 
South Africa

Full Length Research Paper

S. Mavengahama
Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Zululand, Kwa-Dlangezwa 3886, South Africa.
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F. B. Lewu
Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Private Bag X8 Wellington Campus, Wellington 7654, Western Cape, South Africa.
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Abstract

Corchorus olitorius L. is a wild plant utilised as a vegetable in many parts of Africa. Wild indigenous

vegetables have been recommended to alleviate nutritional deficiencies and household food insecurity.

Efforts to domesticate and cultivate wild C. olitorius and other wild vegetables are being hampered by

seed dormancy. The main cause of dormancy in C. olitorius has been suggested to be an impermeable

seed coat. This study evaluates the response of wild genotypes of C. olitorius with different seed sizes

to various dry heat and hot water treatments. Steeping seeds in boiling water (95°C) for 10 s and

soaking seeds in a hot water bath at 80°C for 10 min resulted in a highest response to germination in

the tested genotypes of this species. The study also recorded significant interactions between heat

treatment and seed sizes. It was therefore concluded that genotypes of C. olitorius with different sizes

require diverse durations of exposure to heat treatment methods to break dormancy caused by an

impermeable seed coat.

Key words: Corchorus olitorius, genotypes, germination, heat treatment, wild vegetables species

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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