Seed germination behaviour as influenced by pre-sowing treatments in khirni

An experiment was carried out to study the germination behaviour of khirni seeds as affected by different pre-sowing treatments. Prior to sowing in soil media, the seeds were subjected to the following eight treatments viz., seed soaking in distilled water, GA₃ (100, 200 ppm), thiourea (1, 2%), potassium nitrate (1, 2%) and control (without soaking) for 36 hours. Among the different treatments, significantly high germination, germination index, peak value and germination value were recorded for seeds treated with 100 ppm GA₃. Earliest emergence of seedlings was observed in the seeds soaked in 2% KNO₃ whereas the mean daily germination, seed vigour and germination energy were highest for seeds soaked in 200 ppm GA₃. Therefore, GA₃ (100 or 200 ppm) may be recommended to be used for improving seed germination of M. hexandra.