ABSTRACT

Seed germination and early seedling growth rates of Buchholzia coriacea, Entandrophragma angolense, Khaya ivorensis, Lovoa trichilioides, Mansonia altissima, Milicia excelsa and Terminalia ivorensis were studied at the forest nursery of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Management, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Nigeria. a. A total of 150 viable seeds were used for each plant species during which the type of germination was observed and data on the plant height, leaf count and stem diameter of the resultant respectively with corresponding growth rates of 1.13, 1.34, 2.09, 1.53, 1.03, 0.81, and 1.81 mm per month. Plant seedlings produced simple leaves, compound leaves or both. Entandrophragma angolense, Khaya ivorensis and Lovoa trichilioides started with simple leaves but changed to producing compound leaves as they grew in height while Buchholzia coriacea, Mansonia altissima, Milicia excelsa and Terminalia ivorensis produced only simple leaves. The ranges of seedlings where collected every 2 weeks for a period of 34 weeks. Plant height and stem diameter were measured using a tape and a Mitutoyo Digimatic Japan cajiper, respectively. All the experimental plant species seeds had rapid seed germination and more than seventy five percent seed germination. Buchholzia coriacea, Khaya ivorensis, Milicia excelsa, and Terminalia ivorensis had 100 percent seed germination. Hypogeal germination was observed only in Buchholzia coriacea while the other six plants species exhibited epigeal germination. None of  the seven tree species had height growth of up to 2.50 cm in the first one month after transplanting. However by the sixth month, the increases in height of Buchholzia coriacea, Entandrophragma angolense, Khaya ivorensis, Lovoa trichilioides, Mansonia altissima, Milicia excelsa and Terminalia ivorensis were 5.42, 10.64, 10.87, 5.11, 3.27, 2.94 and 6.91 cm, respectively with corresponding growth rates of 1.13, 1.34, 2.09, 1.53, 1.03, 0.81, and 1.81 mm er month. Plant seedlings produced simple leaves, compound leaves or both. Entandrophragma angolense, Khaya ivorensis and Lovoa trichilioides started with simple leaves but changed to producing compound leaves as they grew in height while Buchholzia coriacea, Mansonia altissima, Milicia excelsa and Terminalia ivorensis produced only simple leaves. The ranges of leaf count for each ofthe seedlings of Buchholzia coriacea, Entandrophragma angolense, Khaya ivorensis, Lovoa trichilioides, Mansonia altissima, Milicia excelsa and Terminalia ivorensis  were 7 -12; 1-5; 5-33; 1-7; 1-5; 1-6; and 1-16 respectively. Khaya ivorensis, Lovoa trichilioides and Entandrophragma angolense had considerable stem diameter growth increases with 0.81mm, 0.63mm and 0.66mm, respectively by the 34th week. The stem diameter growth rates per month in tire same order were 0.061, 0.065, 0.081, 0.064, 0.040, 0.049 and 0.066 mm, respectively. Although there were minor differences in the growth rate of the seedlings, Khaya  ivorensis had the highest stem height, stem diameter and leaf number count. It is recommended that plant species that showed reasonable growth potential be used in tree planting programmes.