Effect of Pre-sowing Treatment with GA3 of Ginkgo biloba Seeds on Some Growth of Behavior of Seedlings

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba is not well known ornamental plant for various applications. Foliage and fruits are used for the production of plant substances used in the formulation of various medicines and nutritional supplements. Plant itself, with its beautiful symmetrical crown, interesting shapes and color of leaves is preferred for Solitaire in landscape sites. The still limited distribution and use of this species requires the development of new technology and improvement of previously applied methods for seed propagation. The aim of the studies was to investigate the influence of pre-sowing treatment of seeds of Ginkgo biloba with various concentrations of GA3. The following variants were tested - soaked in water, soaked respectively in 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 ppm GA3. The duration of treatment was for 24 h at temperature 22–23°C, after which the seeds were dried for 1–2 hours and immediately planted outdoors. Recorded were indicators related to propagation characteristics of the seed and also for vegetative behavior of seedlings. It was found that germination of treated seeds increases up to 83.6%. There was also a positive correlation between the treatment with different concentrations of GA3 and the vegetative growth of the plants: the plant with the highest stem (18.99 cm), the largest number of leaves (6.34 pcs) and the largest leaf area (5.49 cm2) were treated with GA3 concentration of 2500 ppm.