cqvip:Bambara groundnut （Vigna subterranea L.） is a neglected African crop legume with potential to play a significant role as astaple and industrial crop in sub-Saharan Africa. The crop can compete with Phaseolus vulgaris and Glycine max under harshcondition associated with climate change. However, there are some challenges associated with successful production of bambaragroundnut, such as poor crop establishment due to physical seed dormancy. This study was conducted to investigate the effect ofscarification on overcoming seed dormancy in bambara groundnut. Bambara groundnut landrace seeds were characterized by seedcoat colour （cream, light brown and brown） in order to determine the effects of mechanical （sand paper） and chemical （sulphuric acid）seed scarification on germination and emergence. A completely randomized design with three replications was used. Thousand grainmass （TGM）, mean germination time （MGT）, germination vigour index （GVI）, seedling root to shoot ratio, seedling dry mass andfield emergence were determined. Thousand grain mass increased with the decrease in seed coat colour pigmentation. Brown seedshad the highest final germination and field emergence, and cream seeds had the least. Imposing chemical or mechanical scarificationimproved germination as compared to no scarification. However, seedling establishment was vigorous in seeds that were notscarified. Seed quality in bambara groundnut is highly influenced by scarification and seed coat colour. The practical implications ofthe study are that producers can use scarification to improve bambara groundnut germination, however further research through seedenhancements is still needed for seedling establishment under field conditions.
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