347 In Vitro Germination of Basil Seeds J.M.Q. Luz 1 , S.A. Asmar 1 , T.P. Morais 1 , E.C. Araruna 1 and M. Pasqual 2 1 Federal University of Uberlândia, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil 2 Federal University of Lavras, Department of Agriculture, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil Keywords: activated charcoal, gibberellic acid, ionic concentration, Ocimum basilicum L., sucrose Abstract Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual or perennial plant, depending on where it is grown, that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. This species is commercially cultivated for its aromatic leaves, which are used fresh or dried for culinary and medicinal purposes. Micropropagation has been widely applied for large scale production of several species with medicinal, aromatic and seasoning properties, as well as for the extraction of their essential oils. This study evaluated the effects of activated charcoal, gibberellic acid, and MS medium ionic and sucrose concentrations on in vitro germination of basil. Basil seeds were disinfested in 70% ethanol (v v -1 ) for one minute followed by immersion in a solution of sodium hypochlorite 30% (v v -1 ) for 20 minutes. Subsequently, in a laminar air flow hood, seeds were rinsed three times with sterile distilled water and inoculated in MS medium with or without activated charcoal and supplemented with GA 3 (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 mg L -1 ) as well as inoculated in MS medium with two ionic concentrations (50 or 100%) supplemented with three sucrose concentrations (10, 20 or 30 g L -1 ). The tests were arranged as factorial in a completely randomized experimental design. Thirty days after inoculation, seed germination rate (%) and seedling height (cm), number of leaves and fresh and dry weights (g) were evaluated. It was concluded that gibberellic acid and 100% MS medium favor basil seeds in vitro germination whereas the medium with half ionic concentration promotes seedling development. Lower concentrations of sucrose benefited seedling growth as well. INTRODUCTION The species Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae), commonly known as basil, is used as a medicinal herb due to its effects against intestinal parasites, for fever control and for the treatment of digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular and neurologic problems. Besides the use as medicinal plant, its essential oil is widely used in food and beauty industries (Siddique and Anis, 2008). Conventionally, it is propagated by seeds. However, heterogeneity of progeny due to crossed pollination hinders basil use for pharmaceutical purposes, due to genetic and biochemical variability, since hybridization results in large number of subspecies, varieties and forms (Blank et al., 2004). Micropropagation is an effective technique for speedy multiplication of species from which high progeny uniformity is demanded. In the case of medicinal plants, where genetic material quality and plant homogeneity are quality determinant factors, micropropagation has shown excellent results (Morais et al., 2012). Several medicinal plants have been multiplied in vitro, such as Lippia alba (Asmar et al., 2012), Mentha × piperita (Asmar et al., 2011), Melissa officinalis (Reis et al., 2009), Eremanthus erythropappus (Rosal et al., 2007), Lychnophora pinaster (Souza et al., 2007) and Jatropha elliptica (Campos et al., 2007). Success of micropropagation protocols, however, depends on some factors, such as composition and supplementation of culture medium. Thus, induction or inhibition of in vitro morphogenetic processes will depend on the balance and interaction among endogenous and exogenous growth substances and ion and molecule concentration in the culture medium. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of supplementing the culture medium with activated charcoal and gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) doses (1) and the effects of Proc. VIII th IS on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding Eds.: J.M. Canhoto and S.I. Correia Acta Hort. 1083, ISHS 2015