The Effect of Temperature and Seed Soaking on Germination in Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl.

Abstract

This study is part of research to develop the technology for managing major medicinal crops after harvest. We studied the optimal germination conditions of Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. The mean germination time (MGT) of C. wilfordii seeds was higher after soaking for 4 days after storage at 5℃ for 8 weeks, than with germination at 25 ℃ (3 days). However, the germinative energy (GE) decreased as the number of days soaking increased. The greatest germination rate (83.3 ± 8.8%) was at 25℃ with no soaking of seeds stored at-20℃ for 8 weeks. Based on these results, we characterized the germination conditions of a major medicinal crop.