Dormancy and germination of Areca triandra seeds

The dormancy mechanisms of Areca triandra Roxb. Ex Buch-Ham seeds were studied by treating the intact or mechanically scarified seeds with scarification, chemical soaking and stratification. The results indicate that the seeds have exogenous and endogenous dormancy. The exogenous dormancy is imposed by the pericarp and it is the major limiting factor for germination. It can be broken by mechanical scarification, but not by chemical scarification in 98% H2SO4 for 30 min. Chemical treatments (soaking for 24 h in 100–200 mg/L GA3, 0.2% KNO3 and 0.1–0.3% NaNO2, and for 12 h in 10% H2O2 or 20 min or 12 h in 15% H2O2) and stratifications, especially, cold stratifications for 30–120 days, broke the endogenous dormancy and significantly hastened germination of mechanically scarified seeds, although they did not increase the germination percentages.