Malabar Bauhinia (Bauhinia malabarica) is a native ornamental species belonging to the family Fabaceae, distributed throughout India in semievergreen and moist deciduous forests and in gardens. Information regarding seed characteristics and seed handling of the species is meagre. This study describes seed characteristics, germination behaviour and pretreatment for enhancing seed germination of B. malabarica. Treating the seeds with concentrated sulphuric acid for 30 min reduced germination duration up to 6 days and increased germination rate up to 100% against 22 days of germination duration and 10% germination in seeds without treatment. The results of this study are helpful for conservation and nursery practices of B. malabarica.
The present study was conducted to investigate the seed germination behaviour of Terminalia paniculata, a commercially important tree component of deciduous forests of Peninsular India. The study included the identification of maturity index to determine the optimum collection period of the most viable seeds with good seed longevity. Species are characterized by very low germinability and poor regeneration status. Observations were made throughout the flowering and fruiting period on selected matured trees. Seed viability was tested at various stages of maturity and seed longevity was evaluated. The results indicated that the 16th week after anthesis with red-colored fruits recorded the maximum viability (2.60% germination) that shows it is the best period for the collection of seeds. Seed emptiness is very high in T. paniculata (4 to 2%) compared to other Terminalia species (low emptiness). Pre-sowing treatments were not effective in enhancing seed germination and viability. Seeds can be stored up to 6 months in an air-tight metallic container at 4oC and 45 ± 5 % relative humidity. The results of the study can be taken as a reference for various other tree improvement programs and further studies.
A reconnaissance survey was conducted in Southern Western Ghats, India to identify the wild populations of Terminalia paniculata. From the explorative survey, 16 natural populations from different localities of the study area were identified. Collected 36 fruits from each tree and fruit trait quantification of total 3456 fruits (36 x 16 x 6) from 16 populations were used for the study. Hierarchical clustering of selected populations and correlations among fruit traits and between tree traits and fruit traits visualised using a dendrogram. The results indicated significant differences in fruit traits like fruit fresh mass, fruit large wing length and fruit large wing width. Clustering of fruit characters for all the accessions revealed the genetic relatedness between accessions. It reveals that selected populations of T. paniculata belong to two major clusters and confirms that 16 populations are either adjacent or distant in-terms of fruit traits are independent of the geographical station. The relationship between fruit traits indicates a significant positive correlation between fruit traits ranging from 0.352 to 0.739. Even though fruit traits show significant correlation within, a non-significant and very week correlation was obtained with tree stand-up traits except tree girth with fruit large wing length (21.4 %).
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