Effects of various dormancy breaking treatments on the germination of wild caper (Capparis spinosa) seeds from the cold arid desert of trans-Himalayas

Abstract

A study was conducted during 2008–09 to examine the role of various dormancy breaking treatments, viz hot water treatment, scarification, stratification, concentrated acids (H2SO4, HNO3 and HCl), gibberellic acid, potassium nitrate, alcohol, acetone and gamma-rays irradiation on the germination of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) seeds. Dried seeds were placed in the germination chambers for 20–28 days at constant temperature of 25±2°C under continuous light (20 hr) photoperiod after its treatments. Highest germination of 62% was obtained when seeds were pretreated with H2SO4 (40 min.), followed by 400 ppm of gibberellic acid soaking (2 hr). The results revealed that the seeds were epitomized by both physical and physiological type of dormancy that should be overcome to have maximum germination percentag