Evaluation of methods to remove hardseededness in Cicer canariense, a perennial wild relative of chickpea

Most leguminous seeds, including those of Cicer canariense, a wild perennial species endemic to the Canary Islands, possess a high proportion of hard seeds due to impermeable seed coats, a factor that limits their field emergence, and germination under laboratory conditions. Various methods such as chemical scarification with concentrated sulphuric acid for 60, 90 and 120 minutes, hot water treatment and mechanical scarification with sandpaper were used in attempts to improve germination in this species. Mechanical scarification and immersion in sulphuric acid for 120 minutes were the most effective methods to overcome physical dormancy in C. canariense.