Effect of Different Seed Storage Methods and Period on Seed Germination of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) under Konkan Coastal Region of Maharashtra

Abstract

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) seeds are used for raising the rootstock for softwood grafting. Availability of seeds throughout the year is a major hurdle in raising rootstock for grafting. Jackfruit seeds are recalcitrant by nature and hence they lose viability on drying or exposure to chilling temperature and are difficult to store for longer periods. Hence, an investigation on seed viability of jackfruit and methods to prolong it under artificial storage conditions was conducted during the year 2017 and 2018 at College of Horticulture, Mulde, Sindhudurg under Konkan coastal region of Maharashtra. The experiment was carried out in a factorial randomised block design with two distinct treatments namely eight seed storage methods and six storage periods in all possible combinations with two replications. Significantly the highest germination percentage (93%) was observed in treatment where seeds were stored in a screw cap plastic bottle for a period of 150 days followed by storing the seeds in a polybag and keeping it in a screw cap plastic bottle for 150 days recorded 91% germination. The data revealed that fast deterioration in germinability was observed in the treatment where seeds were kept under ambient conditions (at room temperature 32°C). Seeds stored in an earthen pot buried in the soil had already germinated at 90, 120 and 150 days of storage and attained 50% germination at the earliest (17.25 days), exhibited a span of 17.25 to 27.75 days in all the treatments of storage period. Thus, the study revealed that jackfruit seeds can be effectively stored in wide mouth screw cap plastic bottles or in polybags of 300 gauge with a screw cap plastic bottle for a period of 150 days.