Standardized pod collection time, pod length and pre-sowing treatment of Albizia lebbeck at terai zone of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Three pod lengths ( 20 cm) and 13 pre-sowing treatments were considered with four dates of collection (9 February, 19 February, 1 March and 11 March) to investigate their effect on germination rate and growth of seedlings of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. at Pundibari, West Bengal, India. The best time of pod collection was on 19 February as the germination rate of the seeds collected on this date was 92.5% without requiring any pre-sowing treatments. This clearly indicated that the seeds collected on 19 February were nondormant, viable and physiologically mature. Significantly better seedling growth was also obtained when the seeds were sown on 19 February which was extracted from pods of length 10–20 cm. Application of thiourea as a pre-treatment did not significantly enhanced seed germination rate, but its application in lower concentration (100 μL-L-1) resulted in better seedling growth and development.