A comparable stimulation of seed germination by gibberellic acid and sodium nitroprusside in hyoscyamus niger l.,a threatened medicinal herb, from spiti (Himachal Pradesh) Sharma Anupriya1, Sharma Rajender Kumar2, Sharma Shanti S.3* 1Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla171005, India 2Department of Botany, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Delhi110019, India 3Department of Botany, School of Life Sciences, Sikkim University, Gangtok737102, India *Email: shantissharma@hotmail.com
Online published on 19 October, 2021. Abstract The seeds of Hyoscyamus niger L. (Solanaceae), an endangered medicinal plant species from Spiti in cold desert region of trans- Himalaya, exhibited dormancy. The seed pre-treatment with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a donor of nitric oxide (NO), led to a strong stimulation of seed germination that was comparable to that induced by GA3. Thus, an 85 and 100% seed germination was evident due to 10 mM SNP and 1 mM GA3, respectively. The values of other germination characteristics such as emergence index and germination speed are generally consistent with the enhancement of germination performance. Both SNP and GA3 rapidly enhanced the a-amylase activity, lipid peroxidation level and proline contents and reduced phenolic contents in the seeds prior to the initiation of germination. The findings inter alia signify the role of reserve hydrolysis, ROS and inhibitor breakdown in the observed germination enhancement. In view of a remarkable similarity of the effects, an interplay between GA and NO in the regulation of H. niger seed germination is likely. KNO3 and proline affected the seed germination only to a minor extent. The findings have implications for multiplication of H. niger. Top Keywords Endangered, Gibberellic acid, Hyoscyamus niger, Nitric oxide, Seed dormancy, Sodium nitroprusside.. Top |