THE GERMINATION AND PRETREATMENT STUDY ON THE SEEDS …

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THE GERMINATION AND PRETREATMENT STUDY ON THE SEEDS OF MELIA

COMPOSITA -AN IMPORTANT AGRO FORESTRY SPECIES

YENGKHOM DEEPURAJ SINGH, YOGESH KUMAR*,

ADANGNARO JAMIR & PRAKASH CHHETRI

Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India

ABSTRACT

The efficacy of seed quality is essential for achieving the targets of tress plantations in the forest land as well as

farmers/private land. The study has been carried out for testing the potential of Melia composita for germination, which

is an important agroforestry species. Melia seeds, in general are very poor in germination when they are tried in the

nursery. Therefore, apart from the usual method of sowing dried seeds without any pre-treatment, hot-water treated (60-

70 °C), boiled water treated (100 °C), those roasted at 50 °C for 5-10 minutes and samples dipped in concentrated

Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) were also tried to assess the differences in the germination rate due to such treatments. The

germination was done both in the controlled condition (without pre-treatment) and with treatment (cold water,

gibberellic acid, and sulphuric acid).The result of the study revealed that the fruits of Melia composita contain high

moisture content of about 19.20% out of which seeds have 13.72% and pulp have 23.46% moisture content. The

germination of seeds of Melia composita were enhanced with cold water treatment, where germination is maximum

(60%) when treated with cold water for longer days of 7 day and still better with 4 days treatment (26.67%) than the

germination percentage of 23.33% (control).

KEYWORDS: Germination, Agroforestry, Seed Treatment, Seed Vigour Index & Bioassay

Received: May 18, 2020; Accepted: Jun 08, 2020; Published: Jun 17, 2020; Paper Id.: IJASRAUG20204

1. INTRODUCTION

Seeds of woody plants exhibit a great range of variation in shape, size, colour and behaviour. The most essential

factor for the success of plantation is the ready availability of quality seeds. The quality of seed is totally

responsible for the future return performance of each and every seedling, so evaluation of the quality of seeds are

important for better storability, minimal wastage of seed, uniform nursery plant production techniques and planting

method. With a few exceptions, notably among the poplars and willows and in some tropical species of Casuarina,

trees are propagated from seed, and the suitability and quality of the seeds have a big effect on the success of the

plantations raised from them. The use of sound seed from stands of high inherent quality is widely recognized as the

best means of ensuring fast-grown and healthy plantations capable of yielding high quality wood (Aldhous, 1972).

The quality of the seeds can be enhances though the study of seed technology. Seed technology is the method

through which the genetic and physical characteristics of seeds can be improved. It can be simply defined as that

discipline of study having to do with seed production, maintenance, quality and preservation. It involves such

activities as variety development, evaluation and release, seed production, processing, storage and certification.

Even though, forest tree seedling production system has been revolutionized in many countries, production

of planting stock is still largely dependent upon conventional methods in India. Forest nurseries play a vital role in

Orig

ina

l Article

International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN (P): 2250-0057; ISSN (E): 2321-0087

Vol. 10, Issue 4, Aug 2020, 23-36

© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

24 Yengkhom Deepuraj Singh, Yogesh Kumar*,

Adangnaro Jamir & Prakash Chhetri

Impact Factor (JCC): 8.3083 NAAS Rating: 4.13

getting success in all afforestation programmes. Raising quality seedling requires technical skills including careful

planning for selection of quality seeds, appropriate growing media, containers, nursery hygiene and protection. The fast

growth of trees becomes important for the agroforestry plantation and it yield maximum benefit to the cultivator in many

aspects. Along with the agroforestry tree species of Eucalyptus, Populus, Azadiracta indica, etc. Melia composita is

becoming very popular in many parts of the country such as Punjab, Haryana, North Eastern part of India and southern

states such as Tamil Nadu where it is grown as an agroforestry tree species. With Melia composita gaining more

importance, its systematic cultivation has also become more crucial.

Melia composita (Synonym- Melia dubia Cav.) is an indigenous species of tree to India, South East Asia and

Australia, where it has been cultivated as a source of firewood. In India it is found in Sikkim Himalayas, North Bengal,

upper Assam, Khasi Hills, hills of Orissa, North Circas, Deccan and Western Ghats at altitudes of 1500 – 1800 m. It grows

on variety of soils, however, deep fertile sandy loam soils shows optimum growth, while shallow gravelly soils shows stunt

growth. The phenology describes that it flowers during February to April when the trees shed their leaves and fruits ripen

during November to February in the next year. It is a species of high medicinal and industrial economic value commonly

referred as Malabar Neem Tree. Recently this species has been gaining more popularity for its fast growth. The natural

germination through seeds is less than 25%. So there is need to find out appropriate pre-sowing treatment. From the

industrial point of view,M. composita being an indigenous species has great potential to meet the demands of pulpwood

and other needs. The current production of raw materials for pulp and paper is 2.76 million tonnes, against the demand of

5.04 million tonnes, a shortfall of 45 percent. The projected demand by 2020 is 13.2 million tonnes, which is still more

staggering (Palsaniya et. al., 2009). It is used as plywood for making packing cases, boxes, crates, etc. and for the

manufacture of match splints and boxes, cigar boxes, and such light-weight items and fuel wood. Wall-boards, door panels,

furniture, agricultural implements and floorings are also made with the wood. M. composita can be used as an alternative to

meet ever increasing demand of wood some of the short rotation fast growing species like Eucalyptus, Acacia and

Casuarina species are being promoted by wood based industries (Bharti, 2006). Since the seeds generally exhibit very low

germination due to hard seed coat and difficult in propagation through vegetative means, different pregermination

treatments are given to enhance the overall increase in the production.

1.1 Agroforestry Aspect

M. composita is considered as a multipurpose tree because of many important values in agroforestry. The insecticidal

properties of the tree are used in the improvement of production of crops. Study was conducted to determine the effect of

leaf mulch from three woody leguminous hedgerow species (Gliricidia sepium, Sesbania grandiflora, and Cassia

spectabilis) and botanical pesticide from M. composita and A. indica on growth and yield of two insect susceptible crops

such as mungbean and pechay. The growth performances were recorded at 15, 30, and 45 days after emergence (DAE) for

mungbean and 20, 40, and 50 DAE for pechay. The performances of mungbean and pechay at different stages of growth

were significantly varied among mulch treatments. The leaf mulch of C. spectabilis proved best in terms of growth and

yield of mungbean and pechay. Among the botanical pesticide treatments, the M. composita treated plot exhibited notably

inferior stances compared to A. indica and control on the basis of growth and yield of mungbean and pechay. The 50% leaf

extract of M. composita manifested better qualities than that of A. indica in minimizing insect infestations. The vilasinin

derivatives, insect anti feedant substance from Melia may have adversely affected the growth and yield of crops. Though

not significant, the positive changes in soil fertility (top soil layer) with respect to chemical properties were influenced by

The Germination and Pretreatment Study on the Seeds of Melia Composita – 25

An Important Agro Forestry Species


leaf mulch (Sharmila, 1993). M. composita also possess fire resistance quality (Anon, 2006).

1.2 Germination Property of Seed

Melia seeds, in general are very poor in germination when they are tried in the nursery. Therefore, apart from the usual

method of sowing dried seeds without any pretreatment, hot-water treated (60-70 °C), boiled water treated (100 °C), those

roasted at 50 °C for 5-10 minutes and samples dipped in concentrated Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) were also tried to assess the

differences in the germination rate due to such treatments. Seeds collected from the spittings of deer were also tried in the

nursery experiment and the germination percentage recorded. Rai (1999) reported the soaking of seeds in cow-dung slurry

for two days, in which case, the germination per cent obtained was 15-20 per cent. It is also suggested to break the hard

seed cover before soaking in cow-dung slurry. Cutting the hard endocarp of seeds, burying the seeds in pits for about a

year and soaking seeds in cold water for a week are also suggested (Chacko et. al.,2002) to improve the germination rate of

M. composita seeds. The germinability of the M. composita seed is less than 25% and the best seed treatment is treating the

seeds with cow dung solution (Parthiban et.al., 2009). Soaking of M. composita seeds in cow dung slurry for seven days

also increases germination speed, germination percentage and seedling growth and biomass production in comparison to

the control treatments. In an experiment highest germination percentage (34.25 %) was observed in treatment seeds were

soaked in cow dung slurry for seven days followed by 31.50 % germination percentage in treatment where 100 ppm

gibberlic acid were treated for 24 hours, which were significantly higher than control where there was no treatment. The

lowest germination percentage (18.75 %) was recorded from control treatment (Anand et.al., 2012). Hossain (2005) had

also showed that seeds soaking in water improved germination. Luna described that fermentation of seed for three weeks

had also given about60% germination. Nagaveni and Srimathi (1980; 1985), Mahdi(1986) and Murugesh (2011) have

shown soaking of seeds in water and gibberellic acid has shown very good results.

The germination of M. composita is also enhanced by exposing the fruits to microwave energy of 2450 MHz. This

technique provides a quick and effective method of treatment for the seeds having a hard impermeable seed coat. Physical

and chemical seed treatments methods did not improve seed germination. So germination studies were carried out under

laboratory conditions to find out the synergetic effect of microbial consortia and microwave treatment on seed germination.

Exposing the fruits to microwave energy for 7.5 min followed by seed pelletization with selected microbial consortia

recorded the highest germination percentage of 68% over control. This was followed by the treatment exposing seeds to

microwave energy for 5 min + microbial consortium (Germination 52 %) and microwave energy for 10 min + microbial

consortium (Germination 32 %). The control, microwave energy treatment at 2.5min and microwave energy treatment at

20 min had no germination during study period. There is a threshold value for the microwave energy dose, beyond which it

may be non effective. The time taken for germination varies between 3 to 6 months normal conditions, but significant

differences were noticed with days taken for initial germination. Among the treatments, microwave radiation for 7.5 min +

microbial consortium was superior to all other treatments in terms of minimum time taken to initial germination (Ravi

et.al., 2012). Studies carried out so far also indicated that the germination under nursery condition ranges from 14 % to 28

% (Camus, 2008).

1.3 The Effect of Pulp Extract of Fruit of M. Composita on the Seed Germination

The allelopathic properties and presence of saponin from defatted plant residue shows the inhibition of germination of

seeds of mungbeans (Vigna radiata L). The phytotoxic activity is found primarily in the stems and the aerial parts

(excluding the stems) of the green gram plant. It was found that allelopathy may be the cause of as much as 10–25% of the

http://agris.fao.org/?query=%2Bauthor:%22Sharmila%20Das%22




inhibition in mungbean plants grown following mungbean plants. We partitioned stem extracts with water and with organic

solvents: the water extracts produced the greatest inhibition of mungbean and lettuce; the organic solvents caused both

inhibition and stimulation. The discovery of enhancement of mungbean growth by crude mungbean saponins was

serendipitous; the plants showed quicker germination and enhanced growth, but such treatment did not increase the yield.

Continuous cropping of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) can lead to plant growth inhibition. In the experiment leaves, stem,

and roots of mungbean were harvested at 2, 4, 7, and 10 weeks during the spring growth period of the crop in Taiwan. The

BuOH extracts and SSI were stimulatory at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 ppm when tested using seeds of mungbean

and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in a 72-h bioassay on filter paper with distilled water as control. At 1,000 ppm the growth

of both plants were inhibited. The bioassay results were significant at the 95% level of confidence.

2. MATERIAL AND METHODS

2.1 Seeds Character and its Collection

Fruits of M. composita were collected from the Seed Processing Unit (SPU), Silviculture division, F.R.I, Dehradun. In

SPU, the fruits are collected from the cleaned ground below the fruiting trees. Both immature (green-coloured) and ripened

(yellow coloured) fruits fall on the ground and only the yellow coloured ones are to be gathered and used for germination.

2.2 Seed Cleaning

Most type of seeds needs cleaning after processing, and it should be done to remove unwanted parts and other impurities

such as broken seeds, twigs, etc. except sound seed. This helps to avoid diseases and insect attack during storage. The

fruits of M. composita were big and they were cleaned by removing the fruits which have got fungal infection on their pulp

or rotten.

2.3 Purity Test: It is done to determine;

The composition by weight of the sample being tested and by inference the composition of the seed lot, and

The identity of the various species of seeds and inert particles constituting the same.

The purity analysis is usually made on duplicate sub samples drawn from the bulk sample. Pure seed refers to the

sound, filled, undamaged seeds of species under consideration and in addition to mature, undamaged seed include under

sized shivered, immature and germinated seed, provided they can be definitely identified as the species under consideration

and pieces resulting for breakage that are more than one half of original size (ISTA 1976). The percentages are based on

the sum of the weight of the components, not on the original weight of the working sample. But, the sum of the weights of

the components must be compared to the original as a check against loss of material or other error. Purity is computed by

the formula below:

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 =𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝

𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝× 𝟏𝟎𝟎

The production potential of a seed lot can be determined only when the purity analysis and germination tests are

considered together. In the experiment, seeds are taken along with the hard endocarp, due to which the seeds are protected

by the endocarp, and also by the pulp, so the seeds are considered as pure and no purity test was considered necessary to

perform.




2.4 Moisture Content

The moisture content and the storage temperature are the two factors, which determined the viability of seed in storage.

Method of determining moisture content of seed may be classified into two groups (Justice 1972):

Basic methods prescribed by the ISTA, in which the moisture is driven out of the seeds by heat and measured by

the loss of weight of the original material.

Methods designed for rapid routine work and standardized against one of the basic method.

The method, which is used for forest tree seeds, is the “low constant temperature oven” method (Willian, 1985).

Moisture content is computed by the following formula:

𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 =𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 − 𝐃𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭× 𝟏𝟎𝟎

In the experiment, moisture content of the seeds (fruits without the pulp) and the pulp of the seeds are measured. 3

replicates of 5 seeds (fruits without the pulp) each are the pulps obtained from the seeds of each replica were taken and

kept for oven dry for 17 hrs in 103±2 °C, separately. The dry weights of the seeds (fruits without the pulp) and the pulps

were measured after oven dried and average moisture content of the seeds were find out using the above formula.

2.5 Germination

Germination is defined as the emergence and development from the seed embryo of those essential structures, which are

indicative of the seed's capacity to produce a normal plant under favourable conditions (Justice, 1972; ISTA, 1976).

Germination is expressed as the percentage of pure seeds which produces normal seedlings or as the number of seeds

germinating per unit weight of the sample. The germination of seeds of M. composita is slow and in the experiment the

hard endocarp also lengthens the germination time.

2.5.1 Germination Test

The main aim of a laboratory germination test is to estimate the maximum number of seeds which can germinate in

optimum conditions. Of all the quality measurements of seed lots, none is more important than the potential germination of

the seeds (Bonner, 1974). With a few exceptions, all germination tests should be made with pure seeds separated by the

purity test. The pure seed must be well mixed and counted at random into replicates. The seeds should then be spaced

uniformly on the test substrate. Normally, one test consists of 400 seeds in 4 replicates of 100 seeds each, but if 100 seeds

overcrowd the test substrate, the replicates may be broken down into a larger number of smaller replicates of 50 or 25

seeds each (Bonner, 1974). A general recommendation is to leave 1.5 to 5 times the normal seed width or diameter

between seeds, in order to discourage the spread of fungal moulds (Bonner, 1974; Justice, 1972).

2.5.2 Germination Condition

The optimum conditions for different stages of germination and seedling growth are not identical, and may even vary for

different seeds within the same seed lot. The aim of much seed testing research has therefore been to determine a

combination of conditions, which will give the most regular, rapid and complete germination for the majority of the same

species.




a. Substrate: Soil is rarely used as a substrate for germination tests because each sample will vary greatly in physical,

chemical and biological properties. While the germination results might be more comparable with field conditions, the lack

of reproducibility and difficulty in comparing tests of different seed lots render it unsuitable. Artificial media are much

more easily standardized.

Most laboratory tests on small seeded species are made on paper. Other materials used include sand, granulated

peat moss and expanded mica (Vermiculite and Terralite). The main requirements for the substrate (Justice 1972) are: a)

Non-toxic to the germinating seedlings, b) Free of fungi and other micro-organisms; and c) Of porous texture to enable

adequate aeration and moisture for the germinating seeds.

Sand: In the experiment sand is being used as the medium of germination on the trays. The sand was cleaned

though mesh and was put in the trays. In each tray, 3 replications are made with 10 seeds on each replica and the number is

maintained same in all the experiment. Sand is often used for large seeds and with long germination period. Sand is not

suitable for very small seeds, because they are difficult to locate, but it is widely used for larger seeds. Sand can be

sterilized and fungi develop on it less freely than on paper. It also provides a good contact between the seed and moisture

because the seeds can be pressed into the medium. A commonsense rule is to cover the seed with a thickness of sand not

less than the length of the seed on its longest axis (Aldhous, 1972).

b. Moisture and Aeration: The moisture level of the substrate has been suggested as one of the major causes of variation

in seed research results (Everson and Isley, 1951). In the experiment, precautions were taken to ensure that the substrate

does not dry out and so sufficient water was supplied continuously during the test period. All tests were examined daily, to

ensure that the moisture content of the substrate is near optimum. Distilled water were used which was double distillated

and free of impurities.

c. Temperature: Temperature is one of the most critical factors in the laboratory germination of seeds and must be

regularly checked. Since M. composita is a tropical climate tree where temperature is generally high, in the experiment the

temperature in the germinator was set at 30°C and monitored by a mercury thermometer inside the germinator.

2.5.3 Pregermination Treatment: Seeds of many tree species germinate readily when subjected to favourable conditions

of moisture and temperature. Many other species possess some degree of seed dormancy. Where dormancy is strong, some

form of seed pre-treatment is essential in artificial regeneration, in order to obtain a reasonably high germination rate in a

short time. Dormancy may be of several different types and sometimes more than one type occurs in the same seed. Some

of the pre-treatment methods used in the experiment to enhance the germination are:

a) Soaking in water: A number of treatments involve soaking seeds in water or other liquids. It can be Cold water

treatment or Warm/Hot water treatment. These wet treatments may combine the effects of softening hard seed coats and

leaching out chemical inhibitors. In the experiment, cold water soaked treatment was done. In this treatment seeds of M.

composita were soaked in cold water for 2 days, 4 days and 7 days and were kept in 30°C in germinator for germination.

The water in the treatment was replaced by fresh distilled water every day till the 7th day. In the treatment 3 replicates of 10

seeds each were kept.

b) Acid Treatment: The chemical most commonly used to break seed coat dormancy is concentrated sulphuric acid. For

some species, it is more effective than hot water treatment. Seed, which has been kept for a long period in store, may

require a longer period in the acid than fresh seed, which could be severely damaged by the same length of treatment




(Kemp, 1975). In the experiment, the seeds (with the endocarp) of M. composita were treated with conc. Sulphuric acid for

1 minute and 5 minutes and kept for germination in 30°C. 3 replicates of 10 seeds each were kept for each treatment.

c) Chemical Treatment of Physiological Dormancy: A wide range of chemicals have been tested experimentally, in an

attempt to overcome internal dormancy. They include gibberellic acid, citric acid, hydrogen peroxide and a number of

other compounds. In the experiment gibberellic acid (GA3) treatment on seeds (with endocarp) of M. composita were done.

10 seeds (with endocarp) in each of 3 replicas were soaked in 0.01% solution of GA3 for different period viz. 72 hrs and 96

hrs, and their rate of germination was noted. GA3 is known to promote seed germination of a great variety of species. Like

thiourea, gibberellins can substitute for light and temperature in promoting germination of seeds not having these

requirements.

Figure 7: Seeds of Melia composita Plated on the Tray with sand Figure 8: Gibberellic Acid Treatment of the

Seeds.

Figure 9: The Seedlings of M. Composita for the Measurement of SVI.

Figure 10: Seedlings of M. Composita on Completion of Germination.




2.6 Bioassay of Pulp Extract of Fruits of Melia Composita

{on Germination of Vigna Radiata L. (Green gram/mungbean)}

The pulp extract of M. composita was prepared from about 20 fruits, by depulping the fruits and put it in 1 litre distilled

boiling water and kept for 1 day. The solution was mixed properly and the solute remains were filtered by using filter

paper. The pure seeds of Vicia radiata were plated in petri dish on moist filter paper. Two experiments were put; one

treated with the pulp extract till the end of the experiment and another without using pulp extract and using distilled water

for moistening of substrate. 3 replicates of 30 seeds each were used in the experiment, and germination was recorded every

day.

Figure 11: Untreated Mungbean on the 1st Row and

treated Mungbean on the 2nd Row.

Figure 12: Normal Germination of the Mungbean Seeds without Treatment.

Figure 13: Brown Radicle Tip of Seeds Treated with Pulp

Extract of Fruits of M. Composita.




In this experiment, the mungbean without treatment showed normal germination, but the seeds with the treatment

of the fruit extract of M. composita did germinate but the radicles did not grow further and their tips turned brown, and

seedlings with the tips of the radicle turning brown died later, as shown in the figure. This showed that extract of M.

composita contained some biochemical, which inhibited the growth of radicle and normal growth of seedlings of

mungbean.

2.7 Germination Value: The concept of Germination Value, as defined by Czabator (1962), aims to combine in a single

figure an expression of total germination at the end of the test period with an expression of germination energy or speed of

germination. Total germination is expressed as (final) Mean Daily Germination (MDG), calculated as the cumulative

percentage of full seed germination at the end of the test, divided by the number of days from sowing to the end of the test.

2.8 Peak Value: Speed of germination is expressed as Peak Value, which is the maximum mean daily germination

(cumulative percentage of full seed germination divided by number of days elapsed since sowing date) reached at any time

during the period of the test. Germination Value (GV) can then be calculated from the formula.

GV = (final) MDG × PV

Here, GV= Germination Value, MDG= Mean Daily Germination and PV= Peak Value

2.9 Seedling Vigor Index (SVI): SVI is found out by multiplying the germination percentage of the treatment and average

seedling length of the treatment. The seedlings after the experiment were taken out and thelength of the root and shoot of

the seedling were taken by using scale. SVI is given by the formula

SVI= Germination % × seedling length.

2.10 Mean germination time (MGT): MGT is given by the formula

MGT = (daily germination x days) / no. of seed sown.

3. RESULTS

Purity Test of the Seeds- In the experiment, seeds are taken along with the hard endocarp, due to which,the seeds are

protected by the endocarp and also by the pulp; so the seeds are considered as pure.

Seeds Parameter: Mature fruits are yellow in colour and are of the average size of 2.32cm × 2.04 cm and the seeds (fruits

without the pulp) are of the average size of 2.04 cm × 1.7 cm.

Seed Weight: The seeds (with the endocarp) were measured in the digital weighing balance. 3 replicates of 1 kg each were

measured and the number of seeds was counted. By taking average and using standard deviation, it was found that number

of seeds of M. composita per kg is 339±6. i.e., 333 to 345 seeds per kilogram.

Moisture Content: The moisture content of the pulp was 23.46±0.58 % and that of the seed (without the pulp) was

13.72±0.35 %. The moisture content of the total fruit (seeds+ pulp) was 19.20±0.72 %.

Germination Test: Germination was done both in the control condition (without pre-treatment) and with treatment (cold

water, gibberellic acid, and sulphuric acid)




Table 2: Germination of Melia composita seeds under various pre Treatment. (3 replications of 10 seeds each)

Sl. No.

Treatments

MG %

PV

GV

MGT

( days)

SVI

1. T0 (control) 23.33 59.82 3101.07 23.9 408.27

2. T1(Cold water treatment of 7 days) 60 162.16 22626.18 19.3 1125

3. T2 (Cold water treatment of 4 days) 26.67 60.61 3439.01 9.9 445.92

4. T3 (Cold water treatment of 2 days) 13.37 31.74 846.19 5.17 219.94

5. T4 (0.01% Gibberellic acid treatment for 4 days) 26.67 72.08 4179.20 8.93 446.72

6. T5 (0.01% Gibberellic acid treatment for 3 days) 16.67 38.77 1292.59 6.43 246.72

7. T6 (conc. Sulphuric acid treatment for 5 min) 10 27.02 600.38 3.4 144

8. T7 conc. Sulphuric acid treatment for 1 min) 23.33 64.80 3515.40 13.63 373.28

ABBREVIATION

PV= Peak Value; SVI= Seedling Vigor Index; MG= Mean Germination; MGT=Mean germination time.

Treatment T1 has the highest mean germination (60%), peak value (162.16), seedling vigor index (1125),

germination value (22626.18) and mean germination time of 19.3 days while the lowest was observed in T6 treatment i.e.,

MG (10%), PV (27.02), SVI (144), GV (600.38) and MGT (3.4 days).

The Mean germination of T2 and T4 were same (26.67%) but the PV (72.08) and SVI (446.72) of T4 were higher

than PV (60.61) and SVI (445.92) of T2. But the MGT of T2 (9.9 days) was higher than T4 (8.93 days).

The Mean germination of T1 (60%), T2 (26.67%) and T4 (26.67%) was higher than the control, T0 (23.33%)

while it was lower in T3 (13.37%), T5 (16.67%) and T6 (10%).

The Mean germination time was longest (23.9 days) in control, T0 while it is slowest (3.4 days) in T6.

Seedling Vigor index (SVI) was highest in T1 (1125) and lowest in T6 (144). The SVI of T1 (1125), T2 (445.92),

and T4 (446.72) treatment was higher than the SVI of control, T0 (408.27) while SVI of T3 (219.94), T5 (246.72), T6

(144) and T7 (373.28) was lower than the SVI of control, T0 (408.27).

The Peak value of T1 (162.16), T2 (60.61), T4 (72.08) and T7 (64.80) was higher than the control, T0 (59.82)

while PV of T3 (31.74), T5 (38.77), T6 (27.02) was lower than the control, T0.

Table 5: Root Shoot measurement Data for the Seedlings

Sl.no. Treatments Mean Length of the Seedling (cm)

1 T0 17.50±1.22

2 T1 18.75±1.90

3 T2 16.72±1.53

4 T3 16.50±2.11

5 T4 16.75±1.32

6 T5 14.80±0.97

7 T6 14.40±1.70

8 T7 16.00±1.45

The Mean length of the seedlings was longest in treatment T1 (18.75±1.90 cm) and shortest in treatment T6

(14.40±1.70 cm). The seedlings length of all the treatments i.e. T2 (16.72±1.53 cm), T3 (16.50±2.11 cm), T4 (16.75±1.32

cm), T5 (14.80±0.97 cm), T6 (14.40±1.70 cm) and T7 (16.00±1.45 cm) except T1 (18.75±1.90 cm) are shorter than the

control T0 (17.50±1.22 cm).




Bioassay Test

In untreated replicates (control) where the filter papers were moistened by distilled water, all the seeds of V. radiata were

germinated within 1 day and normal growth of the seedlings took place.

In treated replicates (with pulp extract) where the replicates of the seeds of V. radiata were applied with the pulp

extract of M. composita fruits started germinating but the tips of the radicle turn brown and the growth of the seedlings

stops and it was observed that the seedlings died after some days.

4. DISCUSSIONS

In the above experiment, it is shown that the most efficient treatment for enhancing the germination is the cold-water

soaked treatment for 7 days (60%), and this is supported by the results of the experiment conduct by Hossain (2005), who

reported that soaking the seeds in water improved germination. Luna also described that fermentation of seed for three

weeks had also given about 60% germination. Nagaveni and Srimathi (1980; 1985) Mahdi (1986) and Murugesh (2011)

have shown soaking of seeds in water and gibberellic acid has shown very good results. Gibberellic acid treatment of

concentration 0.001% for 4 days also yields a good germination of 26.67%, which is almost near to 31.50 % of

germination in the experiment conduct by Anand et. al. (2012) in which, seeds treated with 100 ppm gibberellic acid for 24

hours were significantly higher than control where there was no treatment. Even though the lowest germination (18.75 %)

was recorded from control treatment by them; in the present study lowest percentage of germination (10%) was observed

in the conc. sulphuric acid treatment for 5 mins. The germination in the control was 23.33%, which is the normal

germination of M. composita as shown by Parthiban et. al. (2009) and in his experiment the best germination was observed

in the treatment, in which, the seeds with treated with cow dung solution.

In the bioassay of the pulp extract of the fruits, the germination of the seeds of mungbean was inhibited due to the

treatment of the pulp extract and there was normal germination in case of the control (with the distilled water). The

inhibitory effect on the germination and seedling growth of mungbeans (Vigna radiata L) has been shown, as due to the

presence of some chemicals (saponins). The allelopathic properties of the Melia tree species may support with the above

experiment in which, treatment of the pulp extract of M. composita slightly inhibits the germination and seedling growth of

mungbean.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The result of the study revealed that the fruits of M. composita contain high moisture content of about 19.20%, out of

which, seeds have 13.72% and pulp have 23.46% moisture content. The germination of seeds of M. composita was

enhanced with cold water treatment where germination is maximum (60%) when treated with cold water for longer days of

7 day and still better with 4 days treatment (26.67%) than the germination percentage of 23.33% (control). The acid

treatment yield less germination when treated for longer duration of 5mins (10%) and gives better germination of 23.33%

when treated for 1 min so acid treatment is less effective in enhancing the germination of seeds of M. composita. The effect

of the gibberellic acid in the germination on average is not effective as its germination was lesser than control (23.33%).

M. composita is also considered as an effective biopesticidal and pharmacological agents. The Melia tree species

contain certain characteristic of allelopathic properties and affect the plant or trees growing nearby. The inhibition

properties on germination and seedling growth of seeds of mungbeans (V. radiata L) due to the allelopathic effect and due




to presence of chemicals (saponin) have been reported by Waller et. al. (1999) so the allelopathic properties of the Melia

tree species may support with the above experiment, in which, treatment of the pulp extract of M. composita inhibits the

germination of mungbean. Being a fast growing species, M. composita is an important agroforestry tree species and its

germination in the nursery for plantation can be enhanced (60%) from the control germination (23.33%) by pre-treatment

(soaking) of the seeds in the water for 7 days.

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THE GERMINATION AND PRETREATMENT STUDY ON THE SEEDS …