Negash, Legesse (Professor)Getahun, Solomon2018-07-112023-11-092018-07-112023-11-092010-07http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7800Ficus sur is a fig tree that belongs to the genus Ficus family Moraceae and order Rosales. It grows at altitudinal ranges 1400-2500 m.a.s.l. Seed production, germination physiology, germinant establishment and seedling growth performance studies were conducted in Addis Ababa University, College of Life Sciences. Seed pretreatments were achieved using 100 μM, 10 μM, 1μM and 0.1μM concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) separately. Plant-derived aqueous smoke extract solutions at relative concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% were also used to pretreat seeds and stimulate germination. The control was to treat seeds with double distilled water. Petri dishes were randomly arranged under a light source from one Phillips fluorescent tube set at a height of 50 cm and producing light at a rate of ca. 40 μmol m-2 s-1. Temperature and relative humidity of the room were 26.55 ± 2.650 C and 44.15 ± 6.25%, respectively. Stereomicroscope examination of seeds was indicated 57.3% of the seeds were damaged and the balance 42.7 % was health. Significant (P<0.05) mean germination percentages were achieved from seeds pretreated with 10 μM GA3, 0.1 μM KNO3 and 75% aqueous smoke extract solutions. Faster germination initiation, maximum mean germination rate and minimum mean germination time were obtained at 0.1 μM GA3 and 75 % smoke solutions. Germination of seeds sown in pots, germinant establishment and growth performance of seedling were also studied in the glasshouse, where average temperature and relative humidity were 23.55 ± 80 C and 72 ± 17 %, respectively. Growth media containing soil mixtures of 4:3:1, 4:3:2, 4:1:3, 2:1:1 and 1:1:1 of red soil, compost and sand, respectively, were used. The growth of seedlings, leaf production and leaf area were significantly (P<0.003) better on the 4:3:1soil mixture compared to the control i.e growth medium containing 1:1:1 ratio of red soil, compost, and sand mixture. From these results, it is possible to conclude that GA3, KNO3 and plant-derived aqueous smoke extract are suitable pretreatments for attaining maximum germination indexes compared to the control. The results indicate that the species is easy to propagate by seed, seedlings grow quite fast and reach planting size ≈ 50 cm within 5 months. Keywords/phrases: Aqueous smoke, Germination, Gibberellic acid, Potassium nitrate, Seedling, soil mixtures and Treatment.enAqueous smokeGerminationGibberellic acidPotassium nitrateSeedlingsoil mixtures and TreatmentThesis