Marie Claire Castello, Manisha Sharan, Madhuri Sharon
Harvested seeds of Bixa orellana L. show dormancy due to impermeability of water through its tegument. Wet thermal treatment (soaking seeds in warm water at 70°C for one hour and then continue soaking in the same water at room temperature for six hour – ten days), soaking treatment in autoclaved cow-dung water (six hours – ten days) and different plant growth regulators (Kinetin, BAP, IAA, Triacontanol and GA) were given to different sets of seeds to break the dormancy. Warm water treatment for six days showed 90% germination within thirteen days. Whereas autoclaved cow-dung water treatment for six days showed 80% germination within eleven days only. But most of the cow-dung water treated seeds showed heavy bacterial infection and perished. Soaking seeds with 500 ppm Kinetin caused maximum seed germination (90%) in minimum time (eight days). All the tried treatments increased seed germination.
