Abstract

Pistacia vera is an important fruit tree in Jordan especially in the southern part of the country. It is known for its seeds that are eaten fresh or used in food. The yield of seeds is considered profitable which makes the multiplication and area increase of this tree highly recommended. Soaking in water or in molybdenum is thought to enhance imbibitions and germination in many plants. An experiment was conducted in plant laboratory of Aleppo University that addressed the effects of pre-soaking solution (water or 5 ppm molybdenum) and soaking duration (24, 48 and 72 h) on the subsequent seed imbibition and germination of pistachio cvs. Ashouri, Alemi and Batori. The experiment was three-factor based and arranged in a completely randomized design. The highest imbibition percent resulted from soaking Batori seeds in water for 72 h (67.74%), whereas the highest germination percent was recorded in Ashouri seeds pre-soaked for 27 h in molybdenum (84.35%). Thus, the treatment inducing the highest germination percent was not necessarily that inducing the highest imbibition response. In general, increasing pre-soaking duration of pistachio seeds resulted in a corresponding increase in both imbibition and germination percentages irrespective of cultivar. However, the main effects of studied factors indicated that the highest germination per cent resulted, on an average, when using Ashouri seeds, or 72 h pre-soaking duration or with 5 ppm molybdenum as a pre-soaking solution.