Effect of Storage Conditions and Duration of Storage on Seed Germination of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schum and Thonn) Taub and (Annona muricata) Linn

Tetrapleura tetraptera and Annona muricata are medicinal plant species with a great medicinal values. Despite their usefulness, preservation of their seed from harvest time to the time when they are required for planting has not been given adequate attention. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of storage conditions and duration of storage on seed germination of T. tetraptera and Annona muricata. Fifty (50) seeds each of Tetrapleura tetraptera and Annona muricata were planted in top soil to determine their germination percentages before subjected to storage conditions, while Tetrapleura tetraptera has 94% germination, Annona muricata has 72% germination. Four storage conditions viz: cold room, refrigerator, room air conditioned and laboratory were used and the experiment was carried out in Ekiti State University, Ado – Ekiti. Seeds stored at different temperatures were collected and planted in polythene nylons filled with top-soil and watered daily, the experiments were replicated four times to test for the germinability on monthly basis for six months. In Tetrapleura tetraptera, highest percentage germination (50%) was recorded in seeds stored in the air conditioned room at 1 month. This was followed by seeds store in the refrigerator with 47% at 2 month. Seeds stored in the room air conditioned had percentage germination of 39% at 2 months, 30.50% at 3 months and 10.70% at 4 month of the experiment. No further germination in seeds under this treatment was observed at the last two months of the experiment. While seeds stored in refrigerator recorded 5.20% at 1 months of the experiment. Seeds stored in cold room and those in laboratory recorded no emergence throughout the period of the experiment. Also in Annona muricata, Highest percentage germination (58.00%) was observed in seeds stored in the room air conditioned at 1 month of the experiment, this was followed by the seeds in this same temperature at two month of the experiment with mean plumule emergence value of 39.00%, seeds under this temperature (air condition) did not respond to germination at 5th and 6th months of the experiment. Seeds of Annona muricata stored in the cold room responded to germination with unappreciable value of 2.05% only at third month of the experiment. Only 1.6% of the seeds stored in the laboratory emerged at 5th month of experimental time, seeds stored in the refrigerator did not respond for the first two months, last fifth and sixth month of the experiment but had 15.53% and 35.00% plumule emergence at third and fourth month of the experiment respectively. Thus, storage of seeds of T. tetraptera and A. muricata in air conditioned room with temperature of -200C might enhance germination in these species.