Germination and Seedling Growth Rate of Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) Seeds as Influenced by Initial Seed Moisture Content, Storage Time and Storage Condition

Coffee seeds have been considered intermediate storage behavior with varying results. It is highly desirable that seeds are stored safely to optimize coffee seedling production at the appropriate time and season with ideal climatic conditions for planting in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of time of storage and initial seed moisture content on germination and seedling emergence rate of coffee seeds. In this experiment, the effects of time of storage with six levels and initial seed moisture content with four levels on coffee seed germination and early seedling growth were studied in a split-plot factorial design. The data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using statistical analysis system version 9.2 software (SAS, 2009). Treatment means were separated using LSD at 0.05 probability level. The present findings revealed that seed germination and seedling emergence rate were highest at initial time of storage. Seeds dried to 12% moisture content showed inferior performance throughout the trial period. Storage temperature, time of storage and initial seed moisture contents showed highly significant main and interaction effects and seeds dried to intermediate moisture level (17 & 22%), stored under cold temperature and sown at early times resulted in enhanced germination percentage and field emergence rate. Hence, it is advisable drying coffee seeds to about 17% to 22% moisture contents and keep under storage with relatively lower temperatures at about 15 o C for not more than six months of storage. As the present finding was limited to single cultivar and done under specific environmental condition further investigation is significant. Keywords: Arabica coffee, Seedling field emergence, Laboratory germination