Earticle

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different pre-sowing treatments of seeds on germination and growth performance of native threatened tree species Quercus gomeziana A. Camus at the nursery of Chittagong University, Bangladesh. Furthermore, seedling growth attributes under different doses of fertilizer (urea) was also experimented to find the best dose of fertilizer on this tree species at the nursery stage for better field level growth. Seeds were placed to six pre-sowing treatments e.g. control (PT0), treated with sand paper rubbing (PT1), nicking (PT2), seeds immersed in cold water for 48 hours (PT3), seeds immersed in cold water for 7 days (PT4) and seeds sown at propagator house with increased temperature (PT5). It was found from the study that germination was started earlier (at 31 days) in treatments sand paper rubbing (PT1) and nicking (PT2). The highest germination percentage (93%) was in PT1 followed by 86% in seeds immersed in cold water for 7 days (PT4) and 80% in PT0 (control). Germination percentage was observed least (63%) in PT2 even though germination started earlier. For fertilizer dose experiment to seedlings at the nursery level, treatment FT1: 100 kg/ha (0.33679 g urea/pot/seedling) comparing with other treatments FT0: 0 kg/ha (Control), FT2: 200 kg/ha (0.67358 g urea/pot/seedling), FT3: 300 kg/ha (1.01037 g urea/pot/seedling) showed better performance in case of collar diameter (6.74 mm), number of leaves, shoot dry weight (19.74), total dry weight (28.16 g), total fresh weight (67.96 g), volume index (3904.82), sturdiness (127.69). Finally, it can be concluded that Quercus gomeziana seedlings revealed better performances under the treatment FT1 in growth and biomass production. Findings of this study will be helpful to take decision on organic fertilizer dose application to seedlings of Q. gomeziana for large scale plantation and conservation of this species.

Quercus floribunda (Tilonj oak) is among the five species of Quercus and an evergreen tree found in Kumaun Himalayan region. Timing of germination is a crucial event determining the success of seedling establishment and survival. The aims of the study were to investigate the effect of sowing date on the germination and morphological responses of Tilonj oak (Quercus floribunda), cultivated during the month of August-September, with supplementary irrigation. The experiment was conducted by sowing seeds at two dates with one month interval in glass house conditions at DSB Campus, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. Present study revealed that higher germination percentage (46.67 %) was recorded at sowing time S2 as compared to the sowing time S1 (32.86 %). Germination percentage as well as seedling growth were affected by sowing date though the differences were insignificant. At both the sowing dates, highest germination percentage was recorded for large seeds (32.86-46.67 %) followed by medium (31.43- 33.33 %) and lowest germination (6.67-7.14 %) was recorded for small size seeds. In all parameters assessed, sowing time S2 had the best performance in combination with large seed size. Thus, September is suitable month for best germination, growth and seedling vigour and large seed size is recommended to silviculturists and tree planters. The information on seed germination and seedling growth is vital both for conservation and rehabilitation of degraded lands.

Castanopsis indica (Sil Batna) is an ecologically valuable multipurpose indigenous tree species of Bangladesh. Considering its high value but poor natural regeneration due to seed dormancy, the authors conducted an experiment at the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences Chittagong University (IFESCU) during 2012-2013 to find out effective pre-sowing treatments. Ten pre-sowing seed treatments were applied on mature, even-sized seeds namely–control; sandpaper rubbing; nail clipping; immersion in normal water (at room temperature: 24°C) for 24 hrs., 48 hrs. and 72 hrs.; immersion in hot water (80°C) for 1 minute; soaking in 10% dilute H2SO4; soaking in 10% HCl for 5 minutes; and sowing in propagator house. Seeds sown after sandpaper rubbing at the distal end revealed best performances by providing highest germination percent (66.7%), germination energy (30%), germination index (0.17), germination rate (0.0145), germination value (30%) and plant percent (66.7%) within shortest period (38 days). The treatment also produced most vigor seedlings with 20.9 cm shoot height, 15 node number, and largest leaves (11.1 cm×2.9 cm). Hence, it is recommended to adopt sandpaper rubbing method for maximum germination and quality seedlings.

Hymenodictyon orixensis (Roxb.) Mabberley (locally known as Bhutum in Bangladesh) is both an ecologically and economically valuable multipurpose tree species for afforestation and reforestation programs in Bangladesh. Seed germination and seedling development study of H. orixense were conducted to find out the response to different growing medium, e.g., polybag (15×10 cm (T0) and 20×15 cm (T1)), sand medium in propagator house (T2), conventional nursery bed (T3), and root trainer (T4) in the Nursery. Consequently, germination behavior and seedling morphological parameters of H. orixense were assessed. The results revealed that the sand medium of the propagator house (T2) provided the highest germination % (58.57±22.30) and the highest germination energy (11.43±2.43) followed by seedlings growing in 20×15 cm polybags (T1) containing forest topsoil and cow-dung at a ratio of 3:1. Except for germination energy, germination values, and germination capacity, other seed biology parameters, particularly imbibition, germination period, germination rate, and plant survival percent in T1, T2, T3, and T4 were significantly (p＜0.05) different from T0. Each phenotypic parameter of seedlings and dry matter of shoot and root significantly differed from control except root length (p＜0.992). Based on this study, Polybags of 20×15 cm size are regarded as the best medium for quality seedling development of H. orixense. The nursery bed (T3) had the lowest germination performance and developed more inferior quality seedlings. Thereby, 20×15 cm size of polybags with conventional soil and cow-dung media is recommended for maximum germination and to grow the quality seedlings of H. orixense in the Nursery.

Dhup (Canarium resiniferum) is an economically and aesthetically important rare native tree species of Bangladesh. In natural condition 78.5-98.7% seeds do not germinate due to inhibition by hard seed coat, seed predation and unfavorable environmental conditions. A study was conducted in the Seed Research Laboratory and nursery of Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, Bangladesh in 2013 to find out appropriate pre-sowing treatments for maximizing germination and initial seedling growth. Eleven pre-sowing treatments were provided in both the seeds sown in polybags and seeds sown in propagator house. Results revealed that, germination started at first (after 20 days of seed sown) in seeds immersed in water at room temperature for 24 hours and germination completed within 38 days. Significantly higher (p＜0.05) germination percentage (33%), germination energy (16.7%), plant percent (33%) and germination value (0.4) was found with seeds immersed in water at room temperature for 24 hours. Seedling height measured at three, four and five months after the seed germination in case of seeds treated by immersion in water for 24 hours was also greater than others. Therefore, pre-sowing treatment by immersion in water at room temperature for 24 hours was more effective in germination and production of quality vigor seedlings of Dhup.

The study was conducted to observe the effects of compost of faecal sludge (FSC) and food waste (FWC) on seed germination and initial growth performance of Acacia auriculiformis and Swietenia mahagoni seedlings at the nursery of Chittagong University, Bangladesh. Before sowing the seeds, different combinations of FSC and FWC were incorporated with nutrient-deficient natural forest soils. Seed germination and growth parameters of seedlings were recorded after two, three and four month of seed sowing. We observed that seed germination (%) and seedlings growth parameters varied significantly (p＜0.05) in the soil added with FSC and FWC in comparison to control. The highest germination was observed 88.89% for A. auriculiformis in combination of soil and FSC at 3:1 and 92.59% for S. mahagoni where soil combined with FWC at 4:1. The seedling biomass and other growth parameters of A. auriculiformis and S. mahagoni was also observed with combinations of soil with FSC 3:1 and soil with FWC 4:1. Therefore, the study revealed that the compost of both FS and FW can be a good soil conditioner for the initial growth of forest seedlings and the proven combinations can help to grow quality seedlings in the nursery.

Halophytes are plants of saline habitats that grow under conditions that may vary in extremes of temperatures (freezing to very hot), water availability (drought to water logging) and salinity (mild to almost saturation). Halophytes may also face sudden micro-environmental variations within their habitats. In this study, we examine some of the factors that determine the ability of seeds of Artemisia fukudo to germinate when conditions are optimal for seedling growth and survival. Germination percentage was the highest at 77.5% when treated in 0% seawater and seedling growth was best in 0% seawater plug cell tray. Physiological quality (chlorophyll contents) and mean germination time were best in the condition in which seeds were treated with 0% seawater (control). Germination performance index in the control group showed the highest value to 3.8. Seedling growth, seedling vigor index in the length of seedling growth andthe relative growth rate were the highest values of 0.76 cm, 1.43, 0.0099, respectively.

Pterocarpus erinaceus is a multipurpose tree species indigenous to semi-arid and Guinean-savanna woodlands of Africa. Natural regeneration on the savanna is being hampered by higher fire frequencies and other land use changes. Simultaneously, demand for timber from the species on the international market is on the rise, raising conservation concerns. To ensure sustainability, good quality seeds, sources of which have not received much research focus, are needed for afforestation. This study investigated how seed quality, germinability and initial seedling growth of P. erinaceus might be influenced by land-use type, mother tree size as well as source and timing of fruit harvest, using both correlational and experimental approaches. The results showed that up to 94.6% of all harvested fruits contained seeds, with no differences found between fruits harvested from cultivated and non-cultivated lands. Percentage of (sound) unblemished seeds was found to be higher for fruits harvested early March (47.3%) than fruits from late April (39.5%). Percentage sound seeds was 41.4% for dispersed fruits (i.e. detached fruits picked from under mother trees) which was not found to differ from undispersed fruits (i.e. fruits harvested while still attached to mother trees) at 45.5%. Also, the influence of fruit harvest time was not found to be different for dispersed and undispersed fruits. Correlations between seed set (proportion of fruits containing seeds) and mother tree size (both tree height and DBH) were found to be very low and non-significant for both dispersed and undispersed fruits. Across mother trees, mean emergence percent was 79.7%, and mean seedling height at three weeks following emergence was 5.32 cm. Both emergence percentage and seedling height were not found to differ among mother trees, but seeds from dispersed fruits had a higher emergence percent (85%) than seeds from undispersed fruits (74%). Implications of findings are discussed.

The experiment was carried out to investigate the characteristics of germination and growth of Salicornia herbacea with several different types of substrate in Mesocosm. The germination rate of S. herbacea in mixed substrate group was higher than other substrates. The highest germination rate of S. herbacea was the substrate mixed with dredged soil and reddish residual soil. Field experiment was conducted to investigate the germination rate and growth dynamics of S. herbacea at the reclaimed dredging area in Busan New Port. One hundred of S. herbacea seeds were planted in each plot (1m x 1m) and 40,000 seeds were planted in March 2010. The germination rate was 7% at 75days after planting. Maximum above ground elongation and production were 11.7 ㎝ sht-1 mon-1 and 15.12 g FW sht-1 mon-1. Maximum below ground elongation and production were 4.3 ㎝ sht-1 mon-1 and 0.33 g FW sht-1 mon-1. These results suggested that S. herbacea seedlings appeared to grow well to the reclaimed dredging area in Busan New Port.

The experiment was carried out to investigate the characteristics of germination and growth of Salicornia herbacea with several different types of substrate in Mesocosm. The germination rate of S. herbacea in mixed substrate group was higher than other substrates. The highest germination rate of S. herbacea was the substrate mixed with dredged soil and reddish residual soil. Field experiment was conducted to investigate the germination rate and growth dynamics of S. herbacea at the reclaimed dredging area in Busan New Port. One hundred of S. herbacea seeds were planted in each plot (1m x 1m) and 40,000 seeds were planted in March 2010. The germination rate was 7% at 75days after planting. Maximum above ground elongation and production were 11.7 ㎝ sht-1 mon-1 and 15.12 g FW sht-1 mon-1. Maximum below ground elongation and production were 4.3 ㎝ sht-1 mon-1 and 0.33 g FW sht-1 mon-1. These results suggested that S. herbacea seedlings appeared to grow well to the reclaimed dredging area in Busan New Port.

This study was conducted to clarify on germination rate enhancement effect and to develope the growing seeding method on Sorbus commixta He이. The results were follows; The optimum temperature of stratificaion and germination of mountain ash was 5℃ the seed germination rate in wet stratification with sand at 5℃ for 90 days was 22.6% and the highest germination of 78.9% was observed when seed was soaked in BA 200ppm for 20 minute after stratification for 90 days at 5℃ . The highest germination of large chinese hawthorn was 11.1% when seedd was soaked BA 50ppm for 20 minute after stratification 90 days at 5℃. Emergence ratio in box raising seeding and pot seeding showed high, 93 and 95%. Root length and dry root weight in pot seedling for 50 days showed higher than that of dirrect seedling and box raising seedling. Plant height and dry leaf weight in box raising seedling showed higher than that of pot seedling and direct seedling. The growth increment of seedling was high between 40 days and 50 days after seedling. The excellent seedling of mountain ash was produced in pot seedling for 50 days.

Somatic embryos on growth regulator-free medium can be produced directly from cotyledon explants of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. When the embryo developmental stage was torpedo and cotyledon, the germination rate of embryos was quite high on MS medium supplemented with gibberellic acid (GA3). However, the percentage of plantlet formation at the cotyledon stage was higher than that at the torpedo stage. This result demonstrates that the embryo at the cotyledon stage was the most appropriate for increasing germination by GA3. Embryos cultured on medium including four levels of GA3 concentrations (3, 5, 10, or 20 ㎎/ℓ ) showed all quite high germination rates (87-91%). When the well-developed embryos were continuously cultured on media including high concentrations of GA3 from 10 to 20 ㎎/ℓ , the percentage of formation of normal plantlets was lower than that seen under low concentrations from 3 to 5 ㎎/ℓ . This treatment of high concentrations resulted in shoots with abnormal shape. The optimal GA3 treatment provides a basis for the efficient method obtaining healthy plantlets derived from ginseng somatic embryos.

Seed of Codonopsis lanceolata exhibits low germination due to impermeable seed coat. Prolonged seed dormancy can be overcome by the application of gibberellins, as it promotes growth of the embryo and weakens the structures surrounding of embryo. The effects of photoperiod, sugar and gibberellin concentration were investigated at constant temperature for 12 days and 22 days in vitro and invivo conditions respectively. The rate of germination of seeds of Codonopsis lanceolata in wet filter paper in both complete dark and light treatments was significantly lower than that of seed treated with GA3. It clearly indicates that there is significant coat imposed dormancy in the seed of Codonopsis lanceolata. The rate of germination in vivo condition was lower than that of the invitro condition supplemented with GA3. Thus, the physical dormancy due to impermeable seed coat and low level of endogenous gibberellins in the seed was the cause of poor germination rate in Codonopsis lanceolata.

Background: The present study assessed the response of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L., Jangdae) seed to NaCl and the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on kenaf seed germination and vigor. Methods and Results: Seed germination ranged from 11.3% to 58.8% after 24 hours of immersion in NaCl concentrations from 0% to 0.5%. The priming treatments had lower electrical conductivity (EC) values for the seeds than for the control and a deteriorated palisade layer. Priming in 10% PEG for 48 hours increased the germination upto 96.3% in H2O solution and 98.8% in 0.3% NaCl solution compared to that of the control (78.8%). Germination synchronization, and shoot and root growth of the primed seeds were greater than those of the control. The T50 of the control in H2O and 0.3% NaCl solution was 22 and 28 times, respectively. After priming, nine times was sufficient to reach T50 in both solution. The mean number of days to germination (MDG) decreased from 1.43 days for the control to 0.55 days for 0% PEG in H2O solution and from 1.57 days for the control to 0.56 days for 0% PEG in 0.3% NaCl solution. The dry weight after the 10% PEG treatment was higher than that of the control. Conclusions: Taken together, 10% PEG treatment for 24 hours is recommended for kenaf seed invigoration before planting.

Diospyros mespiliformis is a highly valued and threatened tree species within the Sahelo-Sudanian zone of Africa, but its seed germination requirements under cultivation are not well researched. In a first experiment which aimed at determining germination response of seeds to dehydration, fresh seeds were dried at room temperature for 26 days during which their moisture content, their germinability, and their viability were monitored at two-day intervals. In the second experiment, 14 pre-germination treatments were tested for their effect on the germination of dried seeds. Results showed that fresh seeds had 52.7% moisture and achieved 97.7% germination. As seeds were dried, percentage germination gradually decreased with decreasing moisture content and reached 0% when moisture content had dropped to 18%. Meanwhile, seed viability remained at 100% over drying duration. Seeds that were not germinated after air dry also recorded 100% viability. The most effective treatment for inducing germination of dried seeds was scarification using 98% sulfuric acid for 30 min which resulted in 96.6% germination. This study reports for the first time in D. mespiliformis seeds a desiccation-induced dormancy which can be efficiently alleviated by acid scarification. This study provides useful information that will contribute to efficient management of D. mespiliformis seed resources for propagation.

Bee pollen is rich in various nutrients and called as natural complete food. Bee pollens of acorn (Quercus acutissima) and actinidia (Actinidia arguta) are the most collected in Korea. But stiff pollen wall hinders dissolution of polysaccharides and lowers extraction efficiency. Thus, we measured antioxidant activity as DPPH radical scavenging and the total polyphenol content of pulverized and lyophilized actinidia pollens inoculated with fungi to confirm the husk removal effect. The total polyphenol content of actinidia pollen was highest in lyophilized pollen medium inoculated with Armillaria mellea, and was lowest in pollen inoculated with Lentinula edodes. Total polyphenol content of the lyophilized pollen was higher than that of the refined pollen and the pulverized pollen in actinidia pollen germinated with A. mellea. The total polyphenol content of the lyophilized actinidia pollen germinated with A. mellea was 1.4-fold higher than that extracted with water. Measurement of antioxidant activity using the DPPH (2, 2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging method showed that the lyophilized actinidia pollen germinated with A. mellea had the highest and that germinated with L. edodes was lowest in antioxidant activities. The lyophilized actinidia pollen germinated with A. mellea was 2 to 4 times higher than that extracted with water in the antioxidant activity of DPPH free radical scavenging. Many germinated cells were formed around pore of actinidia pollen inoculated with L. edodes, while those were formed at the end of hyphae derived from actinidia pollen inoculated with A. mellea.

Seeds of Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge were collected from two plantations and two superior trees in Inner Mongolia; and one plantation and one superior tree in Liaoning, China in late August, 2011. Yellowhorn or goldenhorn is an important tree species, from the aspects of source of edible oil and biodiesel and pioneering capacity of degraded and desert land. Characteristics investigated were seed length, width, and weight; weight and volume of 1,000 seeds; and weight and volume of one-liter seeds. The seeds of Qingsonglingxiang No. 1, growing alone in an open space, showed the highest values in seed length (16.08 mm), width (14.48 mm) and weight (1.40 g), while those of Tree No. 160 in Ar Khorqin Banner were the lowest ones; that is, 11.48mm for length, 11.81 mm for width, and 0.73 g for weight, respectively. Traits of seeds varied quite much between trees and among areas; for example, Tree No. 38 and No. 160 produced quite different seeds in several traits, although they are adjacent to each other in the same farm. Weight of 1,000 seeds varied from 718.0 g to 1,010.1 g and volume from 0.76 L to 1.52 L. Weight of one-liter seeds were 522.3 g to 688.2 g, while the number of seeds were 603 to 935. Seeds which were soaked in the water at 4°C for 2 days showed the highest germination rate (89%) in a 30-day test, which was about 10% to 40% higher than those of non-treatment and dipping treatment at 36°C followed by keeping under room temperature for 2 days. 81% of seeds in the wet sand at room temperature germinated, while 23% of seeds deprived of seed coat germinated. It is necessary to understand seed traits to select superior clones or provenances for the increased, unfluctuating production of seed.