Burundi miombo woodlands is typically forest established on harsh environment by the means of its mycorrhizal status and therefore interesting for its socio-economical and ecological role by protecting soil and producing edible mushrooms. Due to the population pressure on these ecosystems, the present study aims to understand the domestication process of some key species. We investigate the effect of imbibition time (0, 6, 12 and 24 hours) and of germination temperature (20, 28 and 35 ° C) on the germination parameters of five indigenous Fabaceae tree species, IFTS. Results show that all seed species present no-dormancy. The final germination percentage, FGP is about 100% except B. bussei whose optimal FGP reaches nearly 80%. This suggests viability conservation of seeds after six months of collection and storage. The mean germination time and the time to 50% of seed germination (T50) range from 5.30±0.50 to 2.06±0.16 days and from 4.72±0.25 to 1.57±0.06 days respectively. Germination temperature and imbibition time influenced differently analyzed germination parameters. We propose to consider the optimum imbibition time of six hours except for P. angolensis and B. microphylla. The first doesn’t require imbibition and the last requires 12 hours of imbibition. Such study reveals relative less restrictive germination conditions and provides key useful informations for forestry and nursery management. The germination of IFTS seeds is not tedious and can be carried out at regional or local level (accessible to village population) and at lower cost. Due to their mycorrhizal status, it would be interesting to couple future investigations on plant production with their artificial inoculation.
