Pinnacle Agricultural Research & Management
(ISSN: 2360-9451)
November 2013, Volume Vol. 1 (1).
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research Article
Improving seed germination in sapindus emarginatus vahl
C. Swaminathan1*,
R. Revathy2
1Professor and Head, 2Professor
(Forestry), Accepted 12 November,
2013; Available Online 17 November, 2013
Aim of the
study: Poor germination in tree species is
a common problem which can be overcome by giving
suitable treatment. Sapindus emarginatus Vahl,
is a large tree belonging to the family
Sapindaceae, capable of colonising in dry
shallow soils, loamy soils and lateritic soils. Materials and
Methods: Fresh seeds were collected during
summer months from a 20- year-old natural stand at
National Pulses Research Centre, Pudukkottai, South
India. (8o30’N, 78o24’E, 120m.a.s.l) and subjected
to the following treatments i). Inundation in cold
water for 24 hr ii). Inundation in boiled water
(80oC) and allowed to cool for 24 hr iii).
Inundation in cow’s urine for 24 hr iv). Inundation
in cow dung slurry (1:2 ratio of dung and water) for
24 hr. v). No treatment (unsoaked dry seeds) The
data on germination and related attributes were
statistically analysed for ANOVA. Germination
indices like (i). Germination percent (ii).
Germination value (after Djavanshir and Pourbeik,
1976), (iii) Germination Value (after Czabator,1962)
and (iv) Emergency energy value and Germination
energy were calculated. Results:
The results indicated that germination in Sapindus
emarginatus could be increased by inundating the
seeds in cold water for 24 hr before sowing. Conclusion:
The study throws light on exploiting this technique
on other tree seeds having the same problem. Keyword:
Germination, Inundation, soaking.
Dryland Agricultural Research Station,
Chettinad- 630102, Tamil Nadu, India
Forest College and Research Institute,
Mettupalayam-641301, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract: