Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) is one of the common green leafy vegetables used widely
throughout Ghana. Jute mallow is cultivated by seeds and the demand for the crop is year-round
but efficient production is marred by poor seed germination. This study was undertaken to
determine the effect of pre-chill, dry and wet heat on germination, seedling emergence and
seedling vigour of jute mallow. The study also examined farmers’ practices for seed handling
and processing. Hot water at 70⁰C, alone or in combination with oven heat of 700 produced the
best seed germination and emergence. The effect of hot water with oven heat on seedling vigour
was also significantly higher than other seed treatments. Farmers’ response to seed handling and
processing revealed that they did not extract their own seeds because of regular leaf harvesting
which is their main reason for production. Also, the farmers preferred seeds from Togo and
Benin to seeds from Ghana due to the broader leaf sizes of the Ghanaian cultivars. Different
accessions and cultivars have different leaf shapes and sizes, but consumers presume that broader
leaves may have received a lot of fertilizer compared to the smaller leaves which looked more
organic to them. Jute mallow seed farmers who produce on small scale could use hot water at
70⁰C to treat seeds before sowing. Large scale producers, however, should use a combination of
hot water at 70⁰C and oven heat at 70⁰C to treat seeds before sowing.
