Influence of seed traits on germination in Prosopis cineraria (L.) MacBride

Seed germination greatly influences the success or failure of any afforestation programme. As such, it is important to know seed characteristics that could help in selecting seeds which would give a higher germination percentage. In the present experiment, influence of various seed traits viz. seed weight, seed length, seed thickness, seed volume and seed density on germination percentage were studied in 51 accessions of Prosopis cineraria, collected from the States Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. A large range of variability was observed among these accessions for various seed characteristics. The germination percentage ranged from 30% to 100% in the laboratory and 6•7% to 90% in the field. Correlation analysis revealed that germination percentages in the laboratory can be used to predict germination in the field. All seed traits except seed length and seed density showed positive and significant association with germination percentage in the laboratory as well as in the field. Thus germination percentage in Prosopis cineraria can be improved by selecting large and heavy seeds. Use of such seeds for afforestation or nursery raising is suggested.