Effect of Seed Size on Germination and Seedling Performance on Grafted Avocado

Abstract

Avocado (Persea americana) producing areas in Kenya face constraints in generating sufficient propagation material. Lack of technical production skills has led to poor quality avocado seedlings. This research was carried out to determine the effect of avocado seed size on germination, growth and seedling development (using the local varieties as rootstock). A ratio of 5:2:2:1 (Topsoil: Compost: Coconut fiber: Gravel) of planting media was used under green house conditions. The effect of seed size on scion growth and development of avocado seedlings was determined. The experiment had a completely randomized designwith three replications. Each replication had three plants and three seed sizes (Large, Medium and Small) were used. Germination percentage was determined. Quantitative data on plant height and stem diameter were recorded before grafting. Scions (Hass variety) that had 3 buds were used. Time to produce buds, bud length and growth vigor was measured. Data was subjected to Analysis of Variance using Genstat version 14.1 software. Mean separation was done by Duncan’s multiple range test. Significant differences were observed in height, stem diameter, bud length and vigour with the following %CV 14.1, 11.8, 37.4 and 24.0 respectively. The medium seeds had the highest germination percentage of 77.78 and small seeds had the least percentage of 33.33. The large sized seeds produced bigger girth which greatly contributed to quicker graft take. Buds from large sized seeds were more vigorous than those of medium and small seeds. In conclusion mass propagation of Hass avocado seedlings can be achieved using medium to large seeds due to quicker germination, growth and graft take