Abstract
Studies were carried out on the effect of seed coat removal and nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment on germination and growth of seedling and budded plants of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis). Interaction effects were observed between seed coat treatment and SNP treatments for germination time and percentage germination. Decoated seeds germinated earlier and improved synchronicity than intact seeds (with seed coat) and achieved 50% germination within nine days. SNP treatment at all four concentrations (20, 50, 100 and 200 μM) hastened the germination and increased the percentage germination especially when decoated seeds were used. Shoot and root attributes of seedlings (stock plants) derived from the seeds treated with SNP, especially at 50-100 μM, were significantly improved as compared to those from control and mock treated seeds. Growth of the budded plants were better when stock plants derived from SNP treated seeds were used. Therefore, NO treatment coupled with decoating could effectively be utilized to improve the germination and growth of seedling and budded plants of rubber. To our knowledge, this is the first report on redox priming of rubber seeds with SNP.
Highlights
The quality of planting material and an optimum stand of vigorous plants are of utmost importance to achieve the potential yield of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) clones (Nugawela, 2010)
Seed germination is temporally defined as the sequence of molecular and physiological events initiated upon imbibition in non-dormant seeds leading to the radicle protrusion through the seed external envelopes that marks the end of germination (Bewley, 1997)
Data presented in this study, for the first time, demonstrated that exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) elicited a significant enhancement in germination as compared to the control in both decoated and intact seeds
Summary
The quality of planting material and an optimum stand of vigorous plants are of utmost importance to achieve the potential yield of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) clones (Nugawela, 2010). For government rubber nurseries, seeds are purchased from different suppliers who collect and store seeds for a few days to weeks to supply them in bulk quantities. These seeds generally take 2-3 weeks to start germination and 3-4 weeks to achieve 50% germination. This study was undertaken to ascertain the effectiveness of seed coat removal and NO treatments on germination dynamics and growth performance of seedling and budded plants of rubber. Exogenous NO donor SNP and decoating treatments hastened germination, improved synchronicity and percentage germination and growth of rubber plants
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