Curing influences nut-germination and seedling growth of kolanut (Cola nitida Vent. (Schott and Endl.))

Kolanut has diverse pharmacological properties and is prominent in regional trade in West Africa. Kolanuts (Cola nitida) exhibit long dormancy and uneven germination. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine if curing would break the dormancy and support even germination of kolanuts. Forty ripe uncured kolanuts (≥15 g) were randomly selected from a lot. The remaining kolanuts were wrapped with fresh banana leaves and stored in a woven basket lined with banana leaves. At intervals of 2 weeks, for 12 weeks, the banana leaves were replaced with fresh ones. At each replacement, a sample of 40 nuts was randomly selected and planted in 1-L plastic-cups filled with sawdust to determine their germinability. The emerged seedlings were assessed for vigour and data square-root transformed. Curing improved earliness and evenness of kolanut germination. As early as 3 weeks after sowing (WAS), nuts cured for 10 weeks, had 1.90% germination. By 8 WAS, between 53.23 and 83.04% of all cured kolanuts had germinated while only 36.47% of uncured kolanuts germinated. There was no statistical difference in the growth attributes of seedlings from cured and uncured kolanuts. Thus the only advantage of curing kolanuts is in enhanced and even germination. Between six and eight weeks of curing is recommended for optimum germination.