Ga3 assisted seed dormancy breaking in Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. subsp. moschatus

Abstract

Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. subsp. moschatus is a wild uncultivated variety of common lady’s finger (Abelmoschus esculentus) possessing a high degree of seed dormancy. Methods of dormancy breaking in the seed of the plant were investigated through different physical and chemical methods. Different preconditioning treatments including hot water, dry heat, physical scarification and chemical treatments including exogenous GA3 were applied to explore the initiation in germination. Seeds were germinated under the controlled photoperiod and temperature. The viability of the test seeds was estimated by topographical 2, 3, 5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) solution test. Highest germination percentage was obtained in the seeds treated with the exothermic reaction of H2SO4 and H2O, followed by exposure to gibberellic acid (GA3). The exposure time of exogenously applied GA3 had a significant influence on the germination response. The optimum germination temperature was found to be 30 ± 0.5°C. Treatment with 0.75% of 2, 3, 5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride solution for 4 h at 35 ± 0.5°C enabled to correlate the viability of the seeds with the germinative values. Maximum germination was induced through this technique and dormancy of the seed can be attributed due to hard impermeable seed coat and endogenous physiological factor.