Range Management and Agroforestry
Year : 2011, Volume : 32, Issue : 2
First page : ( 100) Last page : ( 103)
Print ISSN : 0971-2070. Online ISSN : 2249-5231.

Influence of seed orientation at different depths of sowing in Jatropha curcas

Gurunathan N.^1,*, Srimathi P.²

Forest College & Research Institute (TNAU), Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu, India

Present address: ¹NRC for Agroforestry, Gwalior Road, Jhansi-284003 (U.P.) India

²Seed center, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

*Corresponding author e-mail: guruforester@gmail.com

Online published on 14 February, 2012.

Received:  4  May,  2011; Accepted:  9  August,  2011.

Abstract

The studies on seed orientation based on caruncle (appendage) position and sowing depth revealed that Jatropha seeds are to be sown at a depth of two centimeter positioning the caruncle downwards for maximization of seed germination and seedling characteristics both during seed testing for evaluation of germination percentage and at nursery for production of higher percentage of plantable seedlings. However on bulk sowing irrespective of orientation, sowing of seed at 4 cm depth and irrespective of depth, downward orientation would be optimum for Jatropha seed for getting higher number of plantable seedlings.

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Keywords

Caruncle, Depth of sowing, Jatropha, Seed orientation.

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