In-vitro germination of red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) seeds

Abstract

Red sandalwood (Petrocorp’s santalinus L.) is a valuable medicinal plant, which is included in the red list of endangered plant species. Rapid in-vitro propagation system for the conservation of the plant, is becoming important as conventional methods are not satisfactory. For this purpose, the feasibility of in-vitro establishment of red sandalwood seeds was tested. Seeds were treated with mercuric chloride (0.1 %) for different durations to select a suitable surface sterilization procedure. Pods with external diameter of < 3, 3-4, 4-5, and > 5 cm were used to examine the effect of the size of pods on in-vitro germination. Pods harvested at light brown stage and stored at ambient temperature (28 ±2 XI) for 1, 2, 3, and 4 week(s) were used to examine the effect of storage time on in-vitro germination. Treating seeds with 0.1 % HgCf (with 2-3 drops of Tween 20) for fifteen minutes was effective for surface sterilization of seeds. Pods with <3 cm of diameter contained no viable seeds. Seeds obtained from pods having a diameter of >4 cm showed a significantly higher germination (90 %) ability while time taken for germination was not affected by pod diameter. Successful seed germination reduced with increasing storage time. Seeds cultured after one week of storage showed the highest rate of germination (96 %) and shortest germination time (8 days), while seeds cultured after 4 weeks of storage showed a lower rate of germination (61 %) and longer germination time (10 days).