ABSTRACT

Garcinia kola is a tropical moist rainforest fruit tree species with seed that do not readily germinate. Tree-to-tree seed germination variation was therefore investigated vis-à-vis reported high within population genetic diversity within the species in a 28 year old G. kola plantation in the humid tropical rainforest of southern Nigeria. Twenty five (25) seeds were randomly selected for each tree giving a total of 225 seeds in a completely randomized block design. The seeds were de-coated, pricked using a sharp needle, and propagated by incubation in clear heavy duty polythene bags 0.1 mm thick and 100 mm x150 mm dimension at 26^o C room temperature and average inside temperature of 29^oC and kept in a box made of wood. Data collected was germination count while germination characteristics measured were mean dormancy period, mean germination speed, mean daily germination, germination time and germination percent capacity. Data analysis was carried out using simple linear regression. The result show there was a significant tree-to-tree correlation of germination pattern in the studied population. This is due to effect of gene drift within the isolated stand which has reduced the genetic diversity of the stand. The plantation therefore provides a source for seed of reduced variability of germination within the seed batch.