Abstract
Stylosanthes gracilis Centrosema pubescens Pueraria kudzu and Phaseolus atropurpureus seeds were treated with concentrated sulphuric acid, boiling water, deep freezing and liquid nitrogen. There was considerable variation in response between legumes and between treatments. The optimum treatments for S. gracilis were either deep freezing for 7 days or immersion in boiling water for 10 seconds; both increased the percentage germination from 20 percent to 80 per cent. C. pubescens responded best to 1 sec in boiling water or 16 days in deep freeze, with an increase from 30 per cent to 55 per cent. The percentage germination of P. kudzu and Phaseolus atropurpureus was increased from 22 per cent to 43 per cent and 18 per cent to 94 per cent, by immersion in concentrated sulphuric acid for 20 and 15 min respectively.
