Breaking Seed Dormancy in Bunium persicum by Stratification and Chemical Substances

Ripe fruits of Bunium persicum are reported to contain an essential oil rich in monoterpene aldehydes. This spice is not cultivated in Iran because of seed dormancy and is found only in some natural habitats. This study was conducted to identify effective treatments for breaking dormancy in B. persicum seeds. Growth regulators, osmotic priming, nitrogenous compounds and cold stratification were tested. Benzyladenin and kinetin achieved dormancy breaking in B. persicum seeds. When the seeds were exposed to benzyladenin in combination with polyethyleneglycol and gibberellic acid the germination percentage was improved. Potassium nitrate, thiourea, polyethyleneglycol and NaEDTA (when applied alone) were ineffective. The seed germination was increased by cold stratification, where by increasing the duration of stratification from four, six, eight to ten weeks the germination percentage was increased, respectively. Combination of the stratification with benzyladenin treatment had promoted effect on germination. It is concluded that the above mentioned effective treatments could be used to cultivate the spice in order to obtain its essential oil.