Gibberellic Acid and Potassium Nitrate Promote Seed Germination and Growth of Grey-leaved Saucer-berry (Cordia Sinensis Lam.) Seedlings

ABSTRACT

Cordia sinensis

Lam is a multipurpose underutilized species of arid and semiarid regions. It is commonly propagated through seeds, but germination percentage is low (50–60%) and erratic. Therefore, an investigation was undertaken to standardize the propagation technique during year 2016 at CAZRI RRS Bhuj, India. The seeds of Cordia gharaf were treated with gibberellic acid (four levels: 0, 250, 500, and 1000 ppm) and potassium nitrate (four levels: 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1%) singly or in combination and it was found that combined application of GA₃ and KNO₃ enhanced seed germination synergistically (p = .05). The treatment consisted of GA₃ 250 ppm and KNO₃ (1%) resulted in earliest seed germination (4.33 ± 0.33 days), maximum seed germination percentage (79.47%), and subsequent seedling growth e.g. highest leaf area (25.52 ± 1.41 cm²), and maximum leaf fresh (1.59 g) and dry weight (0.72 g). However, maximum plant height was observed under GA₃ 500 ppm and KNO₃ (1%) treatment. In conclusion, the combination treatment of GA₃ 250 ppm and KNO₃ 1% is an effective and practical method for improving C. sinensis seed germination.

KEYWORDS:

• Cordia sinensis
• gibberellic acid
• potassium nitrate
• seed germination

Acknowledgments

Author is thankful to Director, ICAR-CAZRI for proving necessary facility for conducting research.

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.