Effect of Gibberellic Acid and Germination Medium on Kiwifruit Seed Germination

Abstract

In Bhutan, cultivation of exotic commercial Kiwifruit fruit is new though wild kiwifruit is found aplenty. There is a high scope for kiwifruit cultivation as it is suitable in a wide range of areas in the country. It can also be grown organically due to the lack of any known serious pest or disease. Fittingly, kiwifruit is counted among the most potential high-value fruit crops in the country. Its cultivation is gaining popularity in the current times and it would consequently increase the demand for kiwifruit seedlings. Kiwifruit seeds exhibit physiological seed dormancy which hampers kiwifruit seedling production. Hence, a study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at ARDC, Wengkhar. In the study, the combined effect of GA3 and growth medium on kiwifruit seed germination was studied using eight treatments with three replications laid out in a Completely Randomized Design. The study aimed to find out the germination parameters like germination percentage, relativized percentage, mean germination time, time taken for 10% germination, and time taken for 25% germination. According to the study, Cocopeat + 1500 ppm GA3 gave the best germination percentage at 51% followed by Biochar + 1500 PPM at 39% while rice bran and compost exhibited a low germination percentage. Overall, the mean germination time was found to be 50 days. The highest relativized percentage of 63 % was observed in Cocopeat + 1500 ppm GA3. As for the time taken to achieve 10% and 20% germination, those treatments with 1500 GA3 application had an advantage of approximately eight days over the others. Overall, considering the average weighted effect of germination percentage and time, Cocopeat + GA3 1500 PPM gave the best result followed by Biochar + GA3 1500 PPM and Cocopeat + GA3 0 PPM. Hence, the study indicates that GA3 treatment in combination with an appropriate germination medium can significantly enhance seed germination in kiwifruit.