Quote:
Originally Posted by Tropicallvr
Scarification of Ensete ventricosum seemed to work for me, but I don't think it is nessisary.
When any Musa or Ensete species sprouts the "root" comes out of the little round "belly button" that each seed has. The seed is probally thinner in that spot.
I'd like to hear how well the ones that "swelled up" sprout.
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That "belly button" you are talking about is called the micropyle, and I would highly discourage anyone from attempting to scarify the seed on or near that point. This is because directly underneath that about 1-2mm (or less, depending on species) is the embryo, and if you are to damage the embryo the seed will never germinate.
Also, as Frank mentioned, it makes sense that scarifying the seed would only help if in agar, which is the exact same thing as embryo rescue germination. If you are only soaking the seeds in water, the water easily penetrates the seed coat over night without the need of any holes. The only reason it works better in vitro (in a growth medium/agar) is because the growth medium is too thick to penetrate the seed coat and reach the embryo. I actually developed a different method of embryo rescue germination where you remove the micropyle and micropylar plug and expose the embryo to the germination medium without removing the embryo from the seed. This helps reduce damage to the embryo as well as serving to keep the endosperm of the seed available to the embryo for nurishment.
Below are some seed pictures of Musa velutina as well as a diagram of a general Musaceae seed (there are differences between species but they all have similar structure).
