Effect of pre-sowing treatments on seed germination and seedling vigour index of Hedychium spicatum

The seeds of Hedychium spicatum were treated with six different concentrations of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) as pre-sowing treatments viz., GA3 100ppm, GA3 200ppm GA3 300ppm, GA3 400ppm, GA3 500ppm and GA3 600ppm and untreated control to study their effect on germination and seedling vigour index. Significant differences were observed in germination percentage and seedling vigour index of H. spicatum treated with different pre-sowing treatments. Maximum germination of 98 per cent was recorded in seeds treated with GA3 400ppm followed by 91 per cent germination in seeds treated with GA3 300ppm, 90.33 per cent germination in seeds treated with GA3500ppm and 88.00 per cent in seeds treated with GA3 600ppm. Minimum germination of 74.33 per cent was recorded in seeds which were not given pre-sowing treatment. Similarly, maximum seedling vigour index (561.85) was also recorded in seeds treated with GA3 whereas, minimum seedling vigour index (422.40) was recorded in untreated seeds. Therefore, seeds of H. spicatum should be treated with GA3 400ppm before sowing in the nursery for better germination and seedling vigour.