ESJ Natural/Life/Medical Sciences

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Pre-Treatment Of Moringa

Oleifera Lamarck (Moringaceae) Seeds At The Early Stage
Of Germination For Massive Production In South Benin
Pascal Gbenou
Research Unit in Plant Biotechnology, Crop Protection and Seed Sciences;
Plant, Horticultural and Forest Sciences Laboratory; School of Plant and
Seed Management and Production (EGPVS);
National University of Agriculture (UNA),Bénin,
Farm-School SAIN, Laboratory of Rural Geography and Agricultural
Expertise (LaGREA) / University of Abomey-Calavi / Benin
David Hombada
Research Unit in Plant Biotechnology, Crop Protection and Seed Sciences;
Plant, Horticultural and Forest Sciences Laboratory; School of Plant and
Seed Management and Production (EGPVS);
National University of Agriculture (UNA),Bénin
David Romaric Nevis
2Farm-School SAIN, Laboratory of Rural Geography and Agricultural
Expertise (LaGREA), University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Doi:10.19044/esj.2021.v17n3p165

Submitted: 16 June 2020 Copyright 2021 Author(s)

Accepted: 26 October 2020 Under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND
Published: 31 January 2021 4.0 OPEN ACCESS

Cite As:
Gbenou P., Hombada D. & Romaric Nevis D. (2021). Evaluation Of The Effect Of Pre-
Treatment Of Moringa Oleifera Lamarck (Moringaceae) Seeds At The Early Stage Of
Germination For Massive Production In South Benin. European Scientific Journal, ESJ,
17(3), 165.
https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2021.v17n3p165

Abstract
Moringa Oleifera Lam., a tropical tree with multiple uses, used as a
vegetable, is part of the eating habits of rural and urban communities. This
study, which took place in the city of Cotonou, aims to contribute to a massive
production of Moringa plants with a view to its promotion. In this line, an
experimental protocol has been set down. Thus, four types of seed
pretreatments were tested on a nursery whose plants are randomly arranged in
four blocks of 30 plants with four repetitions. The treatments consisted of a

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control (seeds not pretreated) of seeds pre-heated to 50°C, seeds soaked for 48
hours in water and scarified seeds. The variables measured are the speed of
germination, the height of the plants, the length of the stems and the number
of leaves.. The results obtained show that the germination time is significantly
better already from the 5th day after sowing for the heated seeds with a
germination rate of 74.16%. As for scarified and soaked seeds, the germination
rate is low 42.5%. However, at the development stage, the scarified seeds have
a better stem height from the 50th day after sowing, a significant difference is
observed between the controls (44,52); scarified (48.66) and seeds heated to
45 ° C (41.38) and a similar difference between controls (44.52) and soaked
48h (43.28). the same result is obtained for the length of the leaves from the
20th day after sowing or there is a significant difference (P = 0.0228) between
the plants of the batches of scarified seeds and the seeds soaked for 48 hours
and a similar difference between the soaked for 48 hours and the seedlings
heated (6,17). On the other hand, the number of sheets parameter does not vary
considerably depending on the pre-treatments. At the start of the experiment,
a significant difference (P = 0.0011) was observed between the plants whose
seeds were heated (3.43) and the soaked 48h (3.00) and the controls (2.57) and
scarified (2.97). Decision makers must take steps to make Moringa Oleifera
accessible to all populations through the creation of plantations for
exploitation.

Keywords: Moringa Oleifera, Nursery, Seed Treatment, Mass Production,

Cotonou

Introduction
Moringa Oléifera is a plant species native to northern India and is now
acclimatized in almost all tropical regions. It is a shrub up to 10 meters tall
and belongs to the Moringaceae family (Makker et al.; 1997 et Arbonnier,
2000). Moringa Oléifera is described as a "tree of life", a "miracle tree" or a
"divine plant" because of its many nutritional, medicinal and industrial
potentials (Fulgie, 2001 et Olson, 2001).
Moringa Oléifera can be found in very arid areas like the Sahara, but
it prefers humid semi-tropical climates (FAO, 2008 et Broin, 2010) and can
adapt to any type of soil but adapts better to the hills and the borders of rivers(
Palou et al.; 2011). It reproduces easily by seeds and by cuttings. It can be
cultivated intensively irrigated for optimal production of leaves in order to
harvest them every six weeks (Palada et al.; 2009). It can also be grown in
house culture or in an intercropping system (Palou et al.; 2011)
However, the interest given to this tree by many researchers in tropical
countries where malnutrition is legion is due to these many qualities and
virtues. Indeed, it has been proved by [9] that practically all the parts of

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Moringa Oléifera are used according to their contents in oil, in polypeptides

and in growth factors.
Studies have shown that fresh leaf juice can increase yields by 25-30%
for many crops (Foidl, 2001; fuglie 2001; Basra et al.; 2009, Makker et al.;
2010).
In Benin, the popularization of Moringa Oléifera started faintly since
1997. It was from 2002; that the ‘Peace Corps Benin’ ’supported with
(Ogoudadja et al.; 2006) the NGO Garpe gave a boost to the marketing of
Moringa Oléifera plants. The fact is that the production of fruit vegetables in
southwest Benin does not seem sufficient to meet the demand of the
population. This is due to a small amount produced by market gardeners.
However, Moringa Oléifera appears to be a solution to alleviate the huge evils
from which the Beninese population suffers (Adjatin, 2006; Hedji et al.;
2014). They must crash into this plant to better use it. The access to this plant
and its leaves remain respectively more and more difficult and rare on our
markets despite the efforts of research structures, non-governmental, national
and international organizations for the popularization of this plant in Benin.
As the multiplication of a plant depends on its germination capacity, the study
of the effect of a few pretreatments germination in the southwest of Benin, an
area where the climate is different from that of the North is very importante.
The ultimate goal will be to facilitate its popularization in the area for its
multiple virtues.

Materials and methods

Presentation of the study area
The study area covers the southwest part of Cotonou in the Littoral
department. The climate is subequatorial with an alternation of two rainy
seasons (from April to July and September to November) and two dry seasons
(from December to March and August). The pluviometry varies between 900
and 1200 mm, while the average temperature is around 27°C with a maritime
influence (Boko et Adam, 1994). The soil is sandy and poor in organic matter
with a low exchange capacity and a low water retention capacity. The
vegetation is sparse and scattered, consisting mainly of halophytes (Boko et
Adam, 1994). Agricultural activities are reduced to market gardening (Figure
1).

Figure 1. Situation map of the study area

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Plant material
The plant material consists of Moringa Oléifera plants obtained in the
nursery. Moringa Oléifera seeds obtained from the NGO "wake up" were
subjected to three different types of pretreatment. The first was heating the
seeds to 50°C, then comes the scarification and the third soaking in cold water
for 48 hours. A fourth group of seeds did not undergo any pretreatment and
was considered as a control (Photo 1).

Photo 1. Moringa Oléifera plants

Experimental protocol
A nursery measuring 5m out of five has been set up to shelter plots of
20 pots repeated four times for each treatment according to the experimental
plan. The sieved potting soil was brought to the site few days before sowing;
then the bag of potting soil was made in the shade of a tree during the day. A
straw shade house has been built on the site. One seed from each group of
pretreated seeds was sown on each plot (consisting of 30 sachets) separately.
Moringa Oléifera seeds were put in the nursery after scarification, heating to
50°C and soaking for 48 hours; some of the seeds were also put in the nursery
without pretreatment and considered as a control. The first two treatments
were carried out during the day, however the soaked seeds remained in the
shade for 48 hours. Every morning the beds were abundantly watered to
capacity in the field. A total of 480 seeds of M. Oléifera were used for the
experiment. Every morning, the boards were abundantly watered to capacity
in the field. Data on seed germination was collected every ten days. They relate
to the time of trick (date of the seed trick after sowing), the number of seeds
lifted per treatment, the average height of the plants, the length of the leaves,
and the number of leaves. The data were collected over 2 months using a
measuring tape and a graduated measuring ruler (Photo 2).

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Photo 2. Experimental device

Data processing and analysis

Data collection took place on the germination of Moringa Oleifera
seeds in the nursery under the effect of some treatments. The variables are: the
height of the stems; the number of sheets; the length of the leaves and the
speed of germination. Here, the Excel spreadsheet was used for entering and
recording the collected data. This spreadsheet made it possible to transform
the data in a histogram form or in tabular matter. The data relating to the
average height of the plants, the length of the leaves, the number of leaves and
the speed of germination as a function of time were subject of the analysis of
a variance (ANOVA) with the STATITIX 8 software. The test LDS made it
possible to compare the average and structure them into different classes. The
results of the analysis were presented in tabular matter.

Results
Average seed germination rate
The experiment results reveal a very high germination rate in seeds
heated to 50°C (74.16%) followed by controls (51.66%). As for the scarified
and soaked seeds, the germination rate is low with (42.5%). The germination
time is 3 days for pre-treated seeds and 4 days for controls. It can therefore be
said that the pretreatment of the seeds has a positive effect on the percentage
of germinated heating seeds in particular, and also on the germination time
(Table 1).
Table 1. Average germination rate per treatment
Treatment Average germination rate
witness 51,66 %
scarified 42,5 %
soaked 48h 42,5 %
heated 74,16 %
Source: Experimental results, 2019

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Evaluation of the growth parameters of Moringa Oléifera plants

The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the stem height
parameters, leaf length and number of leaves are summarized in tables 2, 3
and 4. It appears from table 2 that there is a significant difference from the
10th day after sowing between the soaked 48 hours (8.74) controls (11.59) and
scarified seeds (9.98). There are no significant differences between scarified
(9,98) and seeds heated to 50°C (10,25). There is no significant difference
from the 20th JAS to the 40th JAS. On the other hand, a significant difference
is observed between the controls (44.52), the scarified ones (48.66) and the
seeds heated to 45 ° C (41.38) from the 50th JAS. A similar difference is
observed between the controls (44.52) and the 48-hour soaks (43.28). This
means that from the pretreatment effect of the seeds, the scarification is
favorable to the stems parameter from the 50th JAS. Table 3 shows that for
the leaf length parameter, a significant difference (P = 0.0021) at the 10th JAS
between the 48h soaking and the controls; no significant difference between
the scarified (4.05), and the heated seeds (4.22) and the controls (4.34). On the
other hand, there is a significant difference (P = 0.0228) between the plants of
the batches of scarified seeds and the seeds soaked for 48 hours from the 20th
JAS. However, a similar difference is observed between 48h soaking and
heated seedlings (6,17). At the 30th JAS, there is a similar difference between
the 48-hour soaking and the controls and a significant difference between the
seedlings of the scarified seeds and the controls. At the 40th JAS, a significant
difference is observed between the seedlings of the scarified seeds (7.56) and
those soaked for 48 hours (7.00) and the seedlings of the heated seeds (6.79)
and the controls (7.33). We observe in the 50th JAS the same trends observed
in the 30th JAS. It therefore follows that the pretreatment of the seeds, in
particular scarification has a positive effect on the parameter length of the
leaves during our experiment compared to the batches of controls. Table 8
presents the results of the variation in the number of leaves per plant. A
significant difference is observed at the begining of the experiment (P =
0.0011) between the plants whose seeds have been heated (3.43), the soaked
for 48 hours (3.00), the controls (2.57), the scarified ones (2,97). However, no
significant difference was observed in the rest of the experiment. We therefore
conclude that the seed pretreatment effect has no significant impact on the
number of leaves parameter.
Table 2. The results analysis of the height (cm) parameter of the Moringa Oleifera stems
depending on the treatments
JAS TREATMENTS P
Witness Scarified Soaked 48h Heated 45°C
10 11,59A 9,98AB 8,74B 10,25AB 0,1131
20 20,36A 19,65A 18,99A 17,04A 0,5492
30 26,61A 26,65A 26,56A 26,06A 0,9899

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40 35,54A 47,41A 35,33A 33,16A 0,2553

50 44,52AB 48,66A 43,28AB 41,38B 0,1303
Source: Experimental results, 2019
JAS = number of days after sowing, the averages in the rows bearing the same letters are not
significantly different at the 5% threshold

Table 3. The results analysis of the length (cm) parameter of the Moringa Oleifera leaves
according to the treatments
JAS TRAITEMENTS LSD p
Witness Scarified Soaked 48h Heated 45°C
10 4,34A 4,05A 2,96B 4,22A 0,2982 0,0021
20 6,58AB 6,86A 6,32B 6,17B 0,1986 0,0228
30 6,98AB 7,27A 6,84AB 6,55B 0,243 0,0739
40 7,33AB 7,56A 7,00BC 6,79C 0,1967 0,0093
50 7,58AB 7,78A 7,65AB 7,24B 0,1925 0,0827
Source: Experimental results, 2019
JAS = number of days after sowing, the averages in the rows bearing the same letters are not
significantly different at the 5% threshold

Table 4. The results analysis for the number of leaves parameter of Moringa Oleifera
according to the treatments
JAS TREATMENTS P
Witness Scarified Soaked 48h Heated 45°C
10 2,97B 2,97B 3,00A 3,43A 0,0011
20 6,04A 6,04A 6,00B 6,00B 0,1678
30 7,26B 7,62A 7,58B 7,64A 0,1814
40 9,28A 9,41A 9,37A 9,37A 0,9549
50 11,31A 11,37A 11,28A 11,08A 0,7464
Source: Experimental results, 2019
JAS = number of days after sowing, the averages in the rows bearing the same letters are not
significantly different at the 5% threshold

Discussion
The current study has shown that the germination rate is quite high for
Moringa Oléifera seeds preheated to 45°C (74.16%.) according to (Pamo, et
al.; 2004). Heating the seeds significantly accelerates the speed of
germination. It is also an effective way to soften the seed coat and therefore
reduce its impermeability to water. In addition, according to (Robertson et al.;
1997, Moussa et al.; 1998), the heating of seeds allows the revival of the
metabolic activity of the seed and therefore the development of the embryo.
On the other hand, the low percentage of germination observed in pre-soaked
and scarified seeds would be due to the exposure of the embryos to rots and to
attacks by parasites. Indeed after soaking the seeds for 48 hours, the solution
containing the seeds is very heavy and thick. This phenomenon can be
explained by a probable diffusion of the sugars and proteins contained in the

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seed in the water. The results on the germination rates are different from those
obtained by the work of (Njehoya et al.; 2014) in the Sudano-Guinean zone
of Cameroon. Indeed, the latter obtain a rate of 96% for scarified seeds. This
variation in rates could be related to the differences observed between the
origins of the seeds. These authors in their works have proven a correlation
between the origin of the seeds and their germination rates. As part of our
experiment, the pre-treated seeds germinated faster than the control seeds (1
day less than the controls). This result is therefore supported by the assertion
of Sohdi and Harris cited by (Bourou, 2004) in Senegal on two local varieties
of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). According to these authors, the difference in
germination time of the pre-soaked seeds and the control seeds is 1 to 3 days.
The germination time of Moringa Oléifera seeds is 12 days (Gamate, 2006).
But during our experimentation, the germination time was 4 days for untreated
seeds. The time for germination of Moringa Oléifera seeds is therefore
between 3-12 days. However, the trend changes during the plant development
phase so that the growth of plants from heated seeds slows down compared to
control batches. This trend can be explained by the fact that the heating of the
seeds does not allow the growth hormone to quickly activate. On the other
hand, the scarification allows better development of stems and leaves (Fakeye,
2008). The development of seedlings from scarified seeds could be due to the
rapid use of seed reserves and which favored growth. These results are
consistent with those obtained by (Abdellaoui, 2014) who showed that
scarification has activated the development and growth of young seedlings for
two species of Hédysarum. The latter claims that scarification did not harm
the development of seedlings. For rapid germination, pre-treatment of seeds is
therefore essential. We obtained plants of 70 cm height in 50 days. thanks to
the pre-treatment.

Conclusion and suggestions

It results from this study that the scarified seeds have a low
germination rate (42.5%) but develop faster. Seeds heated to 45°C have a high
germination rate (74.16%) and slow growth. Witnesses behave better than
seeds soaked for 48 hours. On the one hand, these results will allow
nurserymen to reduce the duration of germination and at the same time obtain
very high germination rates and therefore a significant biomass.
Thus, the following suggestions have been made in order to have a
deeper and broader knowledge of the potential of Moringa Oléifera:
- Consider studies to better understand the impact of seed storage conditions
on the germination of Moringa. Oléifera;
- Develop efficient intensive and semi-intensive cultivation systems and
cultural practices that respect the environment in Benin;
- Repeat the same tests in the agro-ecological conditions of North Benin;

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- Repeat the tests and this with other pre-treatment methods.

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