How to germinate Bupleurum seeds? Latest technical method tutorial
Bupleurum is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in China, a common exterior-releasing medicine with high medicinal value, and it is currently grown over a very large area across the country. It is propagated by seed, but its seeds have a short lifespan, and even the germination rate of seeds from the current year is only about half, so when planting, germination treatment is carried out to increase the germination rate. Let's take a detailed look below.
1. Seed selection
During the growth of Bupleurum, due to climate and pests and diseases, some plants will grow poorly. When selecting plants to keep for seed, try to choose robust, pest- and disease-free 2-year-old Bupleurum plants. Do not remove the bolting stems from the seed plants, while the others not kept for seed should have their bolting stems removed in time to reduce nutrient consumption, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied in time. During the flowering and budding stage, spraying foliar fertilizer can promote fruit development and plump seeds, increase seed quality, and raise the germination rate.
2. Stratified storage
The embryo of freshly harvested seeds is not yet fully developed and is in a dormant state, and it needs a period of growth to mature. According to experimental testing, the embryo of newly harvested seeds accounts for only 5% of the embryo cavity, and the germination rate at this time is extremely low, but after May it will grow to 16%. The germination rate can reach as high as 69%. Therefore, after removing impurities from freshly collected seeds, storing them in stratified storage can accelerate the germination of the seed embryo and promote seed maturation, and once mature, germination can be carried out.
3. Germination treatment
At present, germination treatments include chemical treatment, hormone treatment, warm water seed soaking, and radiation treatment, but due to limited conditions, only the first three are suitable for most growers. Chemical treatment is soaking the seeds in a 1% concentration potassium permanganate solution for about 15 minutes, which can increase seed germination by about 12%-15%. This method is relatively simple and quick and can be done at any time. Hormone treatment means soaking the seeds in cytokinin for about 2 hours, then taking out the seeds, rinsing them with clean water, and sowing them, which can increase the seed germination rate by 12%. When soaking, also pay attention to the concentration; generally, add 0.5 mg of cytokinin per 1 liter of water. Warm water seed soaking means soaking the seeds in 30-40 degree warm water for 48 hours, so that the seeds absorb enough water, then removing them and drying off the moisture before sowing.
The above is an introduction to Bupleurum seed germination techniques. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.