Effect of Hydropriming and Osmopriming on the Germination and Seedling Vigor of the East Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album L.)

The natural populations of East Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) are very confined and are facing a drastic decline over the past three decades due to overexploitation. Santalum album L. seeds, in general, have poor and staggered germination, which is the major constraint in raising seedlings in nursery and establishing plantations. In the present investigation, we studied the impact of hydro- and osmopriming on the germination attributes and seedling performance of Santalum album L. The Polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) solutions at four concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20% and four durations of 2, 4, 6, and 8 days and hydropriming for the same durations were applied. Results indicated that the osmopriming of seeds at PEG solutions at 5% concentrations for 2 days recorded the highest germination (79%), which is 42% higher than the control group. Longer priming times (6-8 days) had no effect or negatively affected the germination and growth. Moreover, hydropriming had no significant impact on the germination percentage of sandalwood seeds. The positive growth after osmopriming was connected with higher beta-amylase content, higher carbohydrate and fat content, and lower electrical conductance of the seeds. Osmopriming can be recommended as a suitable and low-cost technology in enhancing the seed germination and seedling growth of Santalum album L. to produce quality planting material. Further testing of osmoprimed seedlings under abiotic stress conditions may help to explore its possible acclimation potential for stress resistance.