Effect of Pre-Sowing Seed Treatments and Grow...

Effect of Pre-Sowing Seed Treatments and Growing Media on Enhancing the Germinability & Growth of Myrica esculenta Buch. -Ham. Ex D. Don

Author Name : Jyotiraditya Das, Mukesh Prabhakar, Umakanta Dash, Shilpa

ABSTRACT Myrica esculenta Buch. -Ham. ex D. Don is a multipurpose, economically important plant belongs to family Myricaceae, well recognized for its medicinally therapeutic utilization in ancient Ayurveda and Unani system of medicine. Horticulturally, Fruits are edible and rich sourceof vitamin C & antioxidants. This is a slow-growing species and becoming endangered in The Himalayan region due to loss of natural habitat and anthropogenic activities. The hard seed coat creating the physical dormancy in the seed is another concern in the regeneration of this species. The combined performance of pre-sowing seed treatments and growing media to improve the seed germination and breaking the dormancy of Myrica esculenta by soaking the seeds in beejamrita for varying periods (2 and 3 weeks) followed by sowing in different media for a period of 60 days,have a profound effect on germination and growth parameters. The best result in germination and growth was recorded in seeds treated with beejamrita solution for 3 weeks and subsequently sown in growing media consisting soil + sand + vermicompost in ratio 1:1:1. The resulted values of germination parameters such as germination percent, germination value, germination energy, germination period and energy period of seeds treated with above treatment combination were 32.40%, 0.50, 24.44%, 47.33 days and 36.44 days respectively. All the seedling growth parameter along with biomass parameters and quality parameters were recorded highest in the same treatment combination only. The results indicated that seeds treated with the above-mentioned treatment combination was outperformed the best for production of quality seedlings of Myrica esculenta under nursery condition.