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Fonio is native to West Africa and is one of the world's oldest grains. It is a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and sulfur amino acids - methionine and cysteine. The aim of the work was to determine the optimal conditions for germination and seed growth of a selected representative of the genus Digitaria in laboratory and field conditions, and to evaluate the possibility of cultivation in the Czech Republic. Under the laboratory conditions were evaluated the effect of drought, salinity,presence of aluminium, waterlogging, light intensity, and storage temperature on seed germination of fonio. Furthermore, laboratory emergence of plants in different substrates and from different sowing depths was also evaluated and a field experiment was performed with different sowing dates. The most suitable temperature for germination of fonio seeds is 30 ° C in the dark. Fonio seeds were resistant to salinity to a concentration of 200 mM sodium chloride. The presence of aluminum had no significant effect on germination. Fonio exhibits very good resistance to waterlogging. Seed germination of fonio was not affected by drought stress up to a PEG solution concentration of 15%. Germination was not reduced by storing the seeds at 21°C for 3 months. The germination of fonio seeds was not significantly affected by the type of substrate or the sowing depth. |
