Studies on seed germination and seedling behaviour of Indian hog-plum (Spondias pinnata) in response to different pre-sowing treatments

摘要

Underutilised crops have an important role to play in future food security due to their consistent use in small land-holder farming and subsistence agriculture. Most of these species have wide adaptability as well as high stress tolerance and the ability to thrive under adverse situations. Therefore, their adoption on a commercial scale, with crop improvement, standardisation of cultural practices and popularisation in adverse farming systems are warranted to achieve stability in farm production. Indian hog-plum or Amra (Spondias pinnata), belongs to the family Anacardiaceae and is a minor fruit in northern parts of West Bengal. A seed germination experiment was carried out with 13 pre-sowing treatments. Seeds treated with 0.01 M KNO3 for 24 hours provided maximum germination percentage (66%), highest seedling length (387.4 mm), vigour index (25477.1) and biomass (6.5 g plant(-1)).