2016, VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3Pages: 508-516
Effect of various dormancy breaking treatments on seed germination, seedling growth and seed vigour of medicinal plants
Ashwani Kumar Bhardwaj, Sahil Kapoor, Avilekh Naryal, Pushpender Bhardwaj, Ashish Rambhau Warghat, Bhuvnesh Kumar and Om Prakash Chaurasia*
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Abstract:
Study was conducted during 2013–14 to examine the role of various dormancy breaking treatments, viz. hot water treatment, scarification, stratification, concentrated acids (H2SO4, HNO3 and HCl), gibberellic acid, potassium nitrate, alcohol, and acetone and gamma-rays irradiation on the percentage germination, seedling growth and seed vigour. Dried seeds were incubated in the plant growth chambers for 20–28 days at constant temperature of 25±2 °C under continuous light (16 hrs) photoperiod after its treatments. Maximum percent germination 97.2% was obtained in Innula racemosa followed by Rheum webbianum (95.1%), Carum carvi (93.4%), Saussurea lappa (90.01%) and Bunium persicum (81.4%) when seeds were pretreated with acid (H2SO4 for 5 minutes). According to results obtained in present study, all studied species found best germination with H2SO4 for 5 minutes in duration of 30 days.The seedlings derived from seeds exposed to the various treatments performed well when grown in a green house. Maximum length of seedlings were found in 24.3 cm in S. lappa followed by R. webbianum (23.8 cm) and C. carvi (22.2 cm) when seeds were pretreated with H2SO4 for 5 minutes, on the other side B. persicum (19.4cm) in hot water treatment at 80°C for 20 minutes and I. racemosa (17.4 cm) in 0.2 KNO3 for 10 minutes. Highest value of seed vigour index (2263) and lowest seed vigour index (390) was found in R. webbianum and B. persicum. The well developed seedlings were observed in 90 days and transplanted it for further developments. The data have implications for conservation and cultivation of the species studied.
Fig.: Seed germination of some selected medicinal plants.