Seed Germination in Wild and Cultivated Varieties of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal | Chapter 04 | Modern Research in Botany Vol. 1
Aim: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal or Ashwagandha is a valuable medicinal plant having a consistent demand in pharmaceutical industries. Traditionally it is propagated from seeds but it’s germination capacity is poor. So in the present study different methods were considered to sort out a suitable method that can be used for its cultivation in the field of Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. Study Design: The study was done in the laboratory and field of Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Botany, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. The study was carried out from July 2012 to August 2012 and again from mid June 2013 to August 2013. Methodology: Different pre germination treatments including 24 hours water soaking, 48 hours water soaking, mechanical scarification, heat treatment at 50 degree Celsius (5 min, 10 min, 15 min) and Gibberellic acid [GA3] (250 µg/l, 500 µg/l, 1000 µg/l) treatments were proposed. The mean germinatio...