Key Technical Points and Detailed Methods for Germinating Bupleurum Seeds
Bupleurum is one of China's traditional medicinal herbs and a common diaphoretic medicine with high medicinal value; it is currently grown on a very large area across the country. It is propagated through seeds, but its seeds have a short lifespan, and even the germination rate of freshly harvested seeds of the current year is only about half, so germination treatment is carried out during planting to increase the germination rate. Let's take a detailed look below.
1. Seed selection
During the growth of bupleurum, some plants grow poorly due to climate and pests and diseases. When selecting plants to keep for seed, try to choose robust 2-year-old bupleurum plants free of pests and diseases. Do not remove the bolting stems of the seed plants, while the bolting stems of the others not kept for seed should be removed in time to reduce nutrient consumption, and phosphate and potassium fertilizers should be applied in time; at the flowering and budding stage, spraying foliar fertilizer can promote fruit development and plump grains, which can increase seed quality and raise the germination rate.
2. Stratification storage
The embryo of freshly collected seeds has not yet developed to maturity and is in a dormant state, requiring 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 grows to 16%, and the germination rate can reach as high as 69%. Therefore, after removing impurities from freshly collected seeds, storing them in stratification storage can accelerate the germination of the seed embryo and promote seed maturation; once mature, germination treatment can be carried out.
3. Germination treatment
Currently available germination treatments include chemical treatment, hormone treatment, warm water 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 the seed germination rate 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 and rinsing them with clean water before sowing, which can increase the seed germination rate by 12%; attention should also be paid to the concentration when soaking, generally adding 0.5 mg of cytokinin to 1 liter of water. Warm water soaking means placing the seeds in 30-40 degree warm water to soak for 48 hours, so that the seeds absorb enough water, then taking them out and drying off the moisture before sowing.
The above is an introduction to bupleurum seed germination techniques; we hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.