Germination of Hippophae rhamnoides L. seed after 10 years of storage at ambient condition in cold arid trans-Himalayan Ladakh region

Abstract

The actinorhizal plant seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L., Elaeagnaceae) is a wind-pollinated dioecious crop. In the present work we study two important aspects of germination of seabuckthorn seeds: (i) germination-related studies of aged seed stored up to 10 years under ambient condition in cold arid condition and (ii) the effect of seed pre-soaked treatment on germination-related parameters of aged seeds. Seed stored up to 6 years does not show any significant difference in germination percentage. However, seeds aged 9 and 10 years showed significant reduction in germination percentage, being 65.3 and 65.67 respectively, compared to 100 and 99 in one- and two-yearold seeds respectively. KNO3 pre-soaking treatment showed negative effect on seed germination. Correlation studies showed that with advancement of age of seabuckthorn seed, the moisture content, germination percentage and seed vigour index decrease. It takes more time for seeds to germinate with ageing. Similarly, decrease in moisture content results in decrease in germination percentage and seed vigour index. Results showed that short- and medium-term storage of seeds could be achieved at ambient condition in cold arid region at lower cost without the limitation of space.