Improved Seed Germination Techniques for Selected Endemic and Threatened Species of Andhra Pradesh

The main biodiversity crises of the new current millennium are extinction and species introduction. A species may be critically endangered and ultimately extinct when death rates exceed birth for a prolonged duration. The reasons may be either natural or anthropogenic. Nowadays, anthropogenic factors are prominent and cause the extinction of many species in the wild. To prevent the present problem conservation can be possible only through ex-situ methods. In the present study, six highly threatened species were selected for improving macro propagation techniques by using different seed germination methods. Seed germination response was best on by using mature soaked and scarified seeds. The preferable nutrient medium is a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio of red soil, black soil, cocopeat, sand and vermicompost. Through this study, we recorded good germination percentages with Boswellia ovalifoliolata 79%, Croton scabiosus 76%, Hildegardia populifolia 73%, Pterocarpus santalinus 71%, Shorea tumbuggaia 66%, Syzygium alternifolium 69%. These propagation methods are low cost and effectively worked and can be possible for restoration of species in their natural habitats through ex-situ conservation and to avoid the species extinction in the wild.