The effect of dormancy breaking treatments on seed germination of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff (kohrang)

Mountain celery with scientific name of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff is one of native medicinal plants of Iran that is an endangered species due to illegal removal. Present study was carried out to find the suitable treatment for stimulating germination of seeds this plant. A factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with four replications was used. Stratification (4 ̊C for 0, 4, and 8 weeks), 500 ppm solutions of Gibberellin (GA), Benzyl adenine (BA), Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), Indole butyric acid (IBA) and combinations of these hormones as follows: (GA+IBA), (GA+ NAA), (GA+BA), (IBA+NAA), (IBA+BA), (NAA+BA), (GA+ IBA+NAA), (GA+ IBA+BA), (GA+NAA+BA), (IBA+NAA+BA), (GA+ IBA +NAA+BA) were the treatments. The results showed that Stratification or hormonal treatments alone increased germination parameters, however, 8 weeks stratification and GA were the most effective treatments. The highest germination percent and duration were obtained in GA, BA, GA+IBA+IBA and IBA after eight weeks of stratification at 4 ̊C due to treatments interaction suggesting that seeds of this species has physiological dormancy. There was no synergic effect between hormonal treatments. The results showed that mountain celery had physiological dormancy and treatments with the greatest degree of success in breaking dormancy were GA, BA, GA+IBA+BA, BA and IBA under 8 weeks stratification.