Effects of Temperature and Light on Seed Germination of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)
عبدالجبار الطيب بابكر, هالة الطاهر, هنادي خالد دفع الله الحاج
كلية العلوم الزراعية-جامعة الجزيرة · السودان
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a common annual weed in central Sudan. It is a problematic weed in all crops, as it displays no seasonal periodicity in germination and is tolerant to most herbicides. This research was conducted to investigate the effects of constant and alternating temperature, light and shade on seed germination of basil seeds. Seeds were placed on filter paper in Petri dish (9 cm), moistened with distilled water and wrapped in transparent or black polythene for the light and dark treatments, respectively. They were subsequently incubated at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45oC in light. The seeds were examined daily for germination 24 h after initial treatment. Seeds incubated under continuous light at 15, 20 and 45⁰C did not germinate. High germination (> 92%) was obtained when the seeds were incubated in light at 30, 35 and 40⁰C for 2 days or more. Seeds incubated in the dark, irrespective of temperature, and those incubated under light at 15⁰ C did not germinate. Seeds incubated at alternating temperature, irrespective of time or temperature resulted in >90% germination 2 days after incubation. Seeds incubated in complete darkness at 30⁰C exhibited no germination, Seeds soaked in water, incubated in the dark for varying periods and subsequently exposed to light displayed 17% and 93% germination 1 day after exposure, and seeds covered with banana leaves for 2 and 4 days, then exposed to light at 30º C resulted in 20% and 7% germination one day after exposure to light, respectively. High germination (>80%) was recorded 2 days after exposure to light. The optimum temperature for germination is around 40ºC. Dark inhibited germination, but did not induce dormancy. Based on absolute light requirement, temperature effect and action of light in filtering through chlorophyll, the results recommended that good crop husbandry practices that lead to rapid canopy closure are key factors in basil management.