The Effect of Traditional Shade-drying Method on Seed Germination and Vigour of Two Varieties of Tomato

The effect of traditional shade-drying method on the seed germination and vigour of two varieties of tomato was investigated. The experiment was conducted at the seed testing laboratory of The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan, Nigeria in July 2015. The seed samples were dried for one week in the drying chambers and thereafter evaluated for germination and vigour tests. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications, in 2 x 2 factorial scheme. Two varieties of tomato (Ibadan local and Alausa) and two drying methods: traditional (shade-drying with an electric fan at a temperature between 23.5 to 32.3°C) and mechanical (seed dryer at 35°C) were evaluated. The germination percentage of Ibadan local variety was significantly higher (87.2%) when compared to that of Alausa (79.0%). Mechanical drying at 35°C gave the higher germination percentage (94.16%), while seeds dried traditionally gave the germination of 72.0%. Moreover, the effect of drying method was not significant on germination index of tomato seeds, suggesting that seeds dried using both methods may not exhibit differential performance when subjected to unfavourable environmental conditions either on the field or during storage. The study indicates that drying using seed dryer at controlled drying temperature would enhance germination of tomato seeds better than traditional shade drying method.