Studies on seed source variation in Toona ciliata M Roem in Himachal Pradesh

The present investigations on seed source studies of Toona ciliata M Roem were carried out in the Department of Tree Improvement and Genetic Resources, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during 2010 with the surveying conducted along with species distribution range and ten seed sources were selected from Himachal Pradesh. The studies included parameters viz 100-seed weight, seed colour and seed germination percentage. Seeds were collected from the selected trees during second and third week of June beginning from the seed sources of lower altitudes and moving towards higher altitudes. Seed colour assessment of all the trees within and between seed sources was performed by colour comparison. The weight of 100 seeds was found to differ significantly between different seed sources within the range of 0.18–0.31 g. It was found significantly higher at Nainikhad, Parwanoo, Rajgarh, Palampur, Mandi, Nagni and Jaunaji which were statistically at par. Minimum seed weight was observed at Kandaghat, Renuka and Bilaspur the three being at par with one another. The seed germination percentage varied significantly (0.33 to 27.78) among the various seed sources. Parwanoo, Mandi and Jaunaji seed sources had maximum per cent seed germination and were at par with one another. As against this minimum per cent seed germination was recorded at Rajgarh and Kandaghat the two being at par with each other. Dark brown seeds were most prevalent followed by light brown and brown seeds from all the seed sources. The studies indicated that there existed variability for seed characters in T ciliata seed collected from different sources on the basis of 100-seed weight, seed colour and seed germination percentage.