Effects of different treatments on seeds germination of Astragalus kifonsanicus

Hard seeds of wild Astragalus kifonsanicus seriously affected seed germination. In the present experiment, A. kifonsanicus seeds were treated with three different methods including breaking seed coats, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide soaking. The results showed that breaking seed coats significantly increased seed germination rate (P0.01) which was 99% and increased by 13 times compared with controls. The germination energy and vigor index of seed, which were 64.67% and 10.48, increased by 31 and 27 times compared with controls, respectively. After being soaking in 98% sulfuric acid for 10 min, the germination rate, germination energy and vigor index of A.kifonsanicus were 83%, 67.33% and 6.51, which increased by 13, 34 and 17 times compared with controls, respectively. In addition, sodium hydroxide soaking did not have significant effects on seed germination of A.kifonsanicus. The present study provided theoretical basis for large scale cultivation and utilization and fast sowing in the field.