Induction of seed germination in Carmona retusa (Vahl.) Masam (tsaang gubat).
2008
Ungson, L.B., Philippines Univ. Diliman, Quezon City (Philippines). Inst, of Biology
Carmona retusa (Vahl.) Masam (Tsaang gubat, family Boraginaceae), a shrub with drupaceous fruits is known to produce valuable medicinal compounds. The seeds of the fruit do not germinate under conditions that promote seed germination on other species, thus appearing dormant. The research was conducted to understand the causes of the failure of seeds to germinate readily, to find means to break their dormancy which included treatments with plant growth substances, sucrose, nitrates or sulfuric acid. Crude extracts were obtained from the fruit excluding the exocarp, outer mesocarp and embryo. They were used in the bioassay to study the possible presence of indigenous inhibitors. Low germination of the seeds under natural conditions was not due to inhibitory substances in the inner mesocarp-endocarp and seed coat. The stony nature of the inner mesocarp and endocarp fused with the seed coat is the cause of the low germinability of the pyrenes. A two-and-a-half hour soaking in concentrated H2SO4 gave 30 percent germination in garden soil. In media containing BAP, Kinetin, NAA, GA3, sucrose and nitrate, there was a slight increase in germination percentage of pyrenes previously soaked in H2SO4, gibberellic acid treatment after H2SO4 pretreatment gave the highest increase (60 percent) in germination percentage compared to the other plant growth substances used.
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