Flowering, fruiting, seed germination and seedling growth of Macaranga g igantea

Abstract

T he stages of flower and fruit development of M acaranga gigantea , its seed germination behavior in nature and from fruit harvesting, as well as the process of raising its seedlings in the laboratory were studied to determine the potential for production of M. gigantea seedlings . Five reproductive trees of M. gigantea were chosen as sources of seed. To estimate natural germination rates , four sample plots of 1 x 1 m 2 in four cardinal directions below the crown of every tree were set up. In addition, dry and wet extraction processes were carried out to determine , which the more effective method for germination of M. gigantea seeds. The results showed that t he time required from flower development to fruit ripening in M. gigantea flowers was 5 - 6 months. T he flower buds initiated in the dry season ( August 2011) and the fruits ripened in the rainy season ( December 2011 - January 2012). The seeds that fell under the parent tree germinated in approximately 24 days with an average seedling density of 75 - 267 per m 2 . The ge rmination in laboratory showed that the percentage and the rate of germination of the seeds extracted through the wet extraction process were higher than those extracted through the dry extraction process. The highest rate of germination ( 65%) is by the co mbination of seeds extracted through wet extraction process and grown on compost media. The relative growth rate of seedlings planted on mushroom spawn waste media was the highest rate ( 0.36 ? 0.42%), followed by those planted on compost media ( 0.15 ? 0.09%), top soil media ( 0.10 ? 0.04%) and sand media ( 0.10 ? 0.07%).