Effects of drought and cold stress on seeds germination of Thymus vulgaris

In order to understand the optimal conditions for germination and seedling growth of import thyme seeds——Thymus vulgaris, the effects of PEG-simulated drought stress and low temperature on seed germination and seedling growth were measured. The analysis of two-way ANOVA showed that temperature, drought and their interaction significantly affected (P<0.05) the seed germination and seedling growth. The treatments with the temperature ranged from 8 ℃ to 24 ℃ and PEG-6000 ranged from 0 to 10% were optimal for seeds germination. The treatment with the temperature at 10 ℃ to 12 ℃ had the highest germination rate of 79.3%, which had significant difference from the other treatments (P<0.05). The treatments with 15% PEG-6000 could significantly inhibit (P<0.05) seed germination. Under the treatments with 30% PEG-6000, seeds only could germinate at 22 ℃ to 24 ℃. The root and shoot length under treatments with the temperature at 22 ℃ to 24 ℃ were significantly higher than the other treatments. Seeds and seedling growth had different response to PEG-simulated drought stress and cold.