Seed germination and storage studies in Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.)

Germination and storage behaviour of six seed lots of Jatropha curcas L. revealed that among the three substrata tested, sand proved to be the best with maximum germination (82.3%) followed by Between Paper (77.2%). Temperature also affected the germination percentage with maximum germination (78.4%) observed at 30°C. There was a gradual reduction in germination in all the seed lots with increase in storage period, irrespective of the containers used. Maximum reduction is germination was observed in muslin cloth bags in which germination was reduced from 93.8% to 48.0%. Polythene (700μ) bags maintained the germination up to 68.1% after 9 months of storage. Less reduction in oil content was observed in polythene (700μ) bags than muslin cloth bags and HDPE bags. Vigour index-I was also reduced as the storage period increased with maximum reduction in muslin cloth bags followed by HDPE. The results obtained during the study revealed that polythene (700μ) bag is best container for Jatropha seed storage and can maintain the viability up to 9 months with standard germination above 68%.