Seed Germination Studies in Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz.

The roots of Rauvolfia serpentina are under use in traditional and modern systems of medicine. The wild population of this valued medicinal plant is in dwindling stage in the natural habitats due to over exploitation and different anthropogenic activities. Cross pollination, poor seed germination, niche habitat, etc. are also responsible for shrinking the population of plants. Due to its potential to cure different diseases the demand for its roots has increased in several folds in national and international market, it is therefore essential to cultivate this drug yielding plant on large scale in the agricultural fields. For the mass multiplication and production of quality planting material (QPMs) of this valuable drug there is prerequisite to develop techniques through sexual and asexual methods. In the present investigation effect of pre sowing treatments of GA3 on seed germination was studied and presented in the paper. The seed of pre-treated with scarification (T1) performed superior in respect of percent germination, growth rate index, mean daily germination, peak value and germination value as compared to other treatments.