EFFECT OF SEED SOURCE AND SOWING SEASON ON NURSERY PRODUCTION OF INDIAN SANDALWOOD (SANTALUM ALBUM L.) UNDER SUBTROPICAL CONDITIONS OF JAMMU, INDIA

Abstract

Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.), a hemi-parasitic tree species, is being cultivated beyond its range in India. However, information on seed sources and sowing seasons for nursery germination under subtropical conditions remains limited. This study evaluated the effect of seed source and sowing season on germination performance of S. album under nursery conditions in Jammu, India. The experiment was conducted in a factorial randomized design comprising two sowing seasons (spring and rainy) and four seed sources: Mysore (Karnataka), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Idukki (Kerala), and Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh), with five replications. Germination percentage, germinative energy, coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), mean daily germination (MDG), and mean germination time (MGT) were recorded. Sowing season and seed source significantly affected germination parameters. Spring sowing resulted in superior germination performance compared with rainy-season sowing. Among seed sources, Mysore (Karnataka) exhibited the best performance, followed by Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and Idukki (Kerala), whereas Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) performed poorest. The interaction between sowing season and seed source was significant for CVG and MGT, with Mysore seeds under spring sowing showing highest CVG and shortest MGT. These findings provide a basis for selecting seed sources and sowing seasons for nursery germination of sandalwood under subtropical conditions.