Revitalizing Tulsi growth: Impact of pre-germination treatments on seed quality and seedling performance in Uttar Pradesh’s semi-arid zones

Abstract

Tulsi revered across cultures for its medicinal, culinary, and spiritual significance, is a plant of considerable importance. This study, conducted in 2020 at the RLBCAU nursery in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, sought to enhance the germination process and seed quality of Tulsi through various pre-germination treatments. The treatments tested included gibberellic acid (GA3) at 0.05% and 0.1%, potassium nitrate (KNO3) at 0.05% and 0.1%, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 0.05% and 0.1%, hot water treatment, and an untreated control. Among these, the application of 0.1% GA3 yielded the highest germination percentage at 32.1%, along with a significantly enhanced seedling vigour index of 20.21. The study underscores the substantial impact of pre-germination treatments on seed germination rates and seedling traits. Seeds treated with 0.1% GA3 demonstrated notable improvements in both germination rate and overall seedling quality, highlighting the effectiveness of GA3 in promoting robust seedling development. These findings suggest that GA3 treatment at 0.1% concentration is particularly beneficial for improving the germination and early growth of Tulsi seedlings, offering a promising approach for optimizing cultivation practices in semi-arid regions like Jhansi.