Germination of Selected Palm Species

News source: The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development
For further information: PCARRD Highlights 2000
Fax: 63-49-536-0016, 2001-03-01

Improving Germination Rate of Palm Seeds

Most palm species take a long time to germinate, and the percentage of seeds germinating is very variable. These make the availability of planting materials a problem. Results of research by Protacio et al. of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, improved the germination percentage of palms.

Fish-Tail Palms

Fish-tail palms (Caryota rumphiana). Keeping seeds inside the vegetable compartment of a refrigerator at 8° C for 1 week improved germination to 91.13%. Cleaning freshly harvested seeds, and storing them for one month in an air-conditioned room (23± 3°C) gave 75.53% germination.

Bunga Palm, Betel Palm

Bunga palm, Betel palm (Areca catechu). Soaking seeds for two days in tap water, then keeping them for seven weeks in 1:1 sand and coconut coir dust gave 100% germination. Seeds soaked in hot water (50°C) for 15 minutes had a germination rate of 95.88%.

Mcarthur Palm

McArthur palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii). Seeds soaked in tap water for two weeks and sown in 1:1 sand and coconut coir dust medium had a 100% germination rate. Seeds kept in paper towels and newspapers had a 98% germination rate after eight weeks.

Pinanga Tiger Palm

Pinanga Tiger palm (Pinanga maculata). Seeds soaked in tap water for two days and sown in 1:1 sand and coconut coir dust had a 93.33% germination rate.

Bamboo Palm

Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii). Seeds had an 83.33% germination rate, 2.5 months after sowing, using the exposed technique and 1:1 soil and coconut coir dust as a medium.

Anahaw Palm

Anahaw palm (Livistona sp.). Seeds were soaked in tap water for two weeks to remove the fleshy pericarp. They germinated in garden soil under full sunlight.

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