Effect of fruit size on early seedling vigour and biomass in white dammer (Vateria indica Linn.): A vulnerable and economically important tree species of the Western Ghats

Abstract

Vateria indica Linn. is an important resin yielding soft wood tree species, distributed throughout the Western Ghats. This species is considered as one of the vulnerable tree species and is endemic to the Western Ghats. Seed grading is one of the important components of forest nursery and it has advantages such as early enhancement and uniformity in seed germination. The present study was conducted to understand the effect of fruit size on seed germination, seedling vigour and biomass in Vateria indica. Matured fruits were separated and graded into two categories, i.e., smaller fruits (diameter < 4.5 cm) and bigger fruits (diameter > 4.5 cm). Results showed that the germination was early and uniform among bigger seeds than smaller ones. Seedling growth characters such as seedling height, collar diameter, number of leaves and seedling biomass characters such as fresh and dry weight of shoot and root showed significant differences between these two categories. Root and Shoot biomass showed significant variation where bigger fruits produced higher shoot and root biomass (1.83 and 0.80g) as compared to small ones (1.94 and 0.49g). This might be due to the presence of more maternal resources in the fruits. These results indicated that bigger sized fruit of Vateria indica performed better in terms of seedling vigour and biomass. However, fruit size more than 4.5 cm in diameter can be graded to get higher percent germination and uniform seedling growth. Most of the growth and biomass characteristics showed positive and significant association with fruit size, indicating that bigger sized fruits yield taller and bigger seedlings.