~ 1275 ~ International Journal of Chemical Studies 2017; 5(5): 1275-1277 P-ISSN: 2349–8528 E-ISSN: 2321–4902 IJCS 2017; 5(5): 1275-1277 © 2017 IJCS Received: 05-07-2017 Accepted: 07-08-2017 Thakriya HR Department of Fruit Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India Singh Virendra Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch, Gujarat, India Bhanderi DR Department of Vegetable Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India Paramar JR Department of Fruit Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India Unnati Ahir Department of Fruit Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India Correspondence Thakriya HR Department of Fruit Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India Influence of mango rootstock by different soaking treatments on germination percentage and growth Thakriya HR, Singh Virendra, Bhanderi DR, Paramar JR and Unnati Ahir Abstract A trail was conducted at Regional Horticultural Research Station, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat during 2016-17. The results of experiment revealed that the stones soaked with Vermiwash 1 % showed the best results with respect to maximum germination percentage (71.33 %), maximum height of rootstock (22.26 cm), maximum diameter of rootstock (0.59 cm), maximum girth of rootstock (1.57 cm), maximum number of primary roots of rootstock (3.60) and maximum number of secondary roots of rootstock (29.73). Vemiwash 1 % was the best treatment for enhancing germination percentage and production of vigorous seedling. Keywords: mango, soaking treatments, rootstock, Vermiwash. Introduction Mango (Mangifera indica L.), belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, is undoubtedly one of the preferable and most ancient fruit known to mankind, being successfully grown both in tropical as well as sub-tropical region of India. It has developed its own importance all over the World and its cultivation is nearly as old as Indian civilization. In the past two decades, India has witnessed an increase in the area under mango on account of demand for fresh fruits in the domestic as well as International market. In the past two decades, India has witnessed an increase in the area under mango on account of demand for fresh fruits in the domestic as well as International market. However, limited availability of genuine planting material is the most important bottleneck in the expansion of area under mango. As mango is a highly cross pollinated crop, there is an enormous variation in the seedlings raised even from the fruits of the same tree. When raised by seeds, mango plants are not true to type and lose many of their unique characteristics. Vegetative propagation thus became a necessity in mango to preserve and perpetuate the characteristics of each cultivar. Most of the fruit crop seeds germinate poorly and unevenly and require more time for seedling emergence. The dormancy in seeds might be due to hard seed coat, impermeability to water and gases, physiological immaturity of embryo, deficiency of some endogenous growth promoters or excess of endogenous growth inhibitors. Different methods like water soaking, scarification and chemical treatments are used for breaking dormancy in such seeds to improve germination. Soaking of seeds in water promotes germination by softening the hard seed coat, activating the enzymes and diluting the effects of inhibitors. Duration of soaking varies from overnight to 3 or 4 days depending on the nature of seed coat while, scarification is the process of injuring the hard seed coat by any means to accelerate the water absorption and to improve the gaseous exchange for hastening the process of germination. Rootstocks are always seedling origin irrespective of zygotic/ nucellar nature. In semi-arid regions the mango stones are available during the drier parts of the year (April- June) because of which the germination percentage and vigor is very low. Synchronization and rapid seed emergence are the benefits of bioformulations or organics on germination and seedling growth. The significant enhancement of germination was noticed in different pre-soaking treatments by Padma and Narayana Reddy (1998) [8] and Rao (2002) [10] in mango. Higher germination percentage of mango stones is the main criterion and strong base for successful grafts. The present investigation was conducted to study the germination and growth parameters by soaking treatments.