Unveiling the Seed Storage Behavior for Conservation of Indian Olibanum: Boswellia serrata Roxb. Ex Coleb.

Abstract

The study attempted to understand the storage behavior of Boswellia serrata Roxb. seeds; for which seeds were collected from three locations in the Shivalik region of the Himalayas during June 2021. Across the locations, the freshly collected seeds had an average moisture content (MC) of 10.06% and exhibited an average germination of 73%. When the seeds were further desiccated to MC 7%; the average germination was reduced to 51.33%. After this, desiccated seeds were stored hermetically at +5oC temperature for a period of 24 months, and periodic germination trials were conducted at an interval of 4 months. The average germination percentage was reduced from 73% to 13.67% during the storage period; the seed deterioration process and low temperature-induced chilling injury could be attributed to the reduced germination rate. Our results also revealed that the Pinjore seed source outperforms the other two sources in germination rate with an adjusted margin mean of 38.13. The insights derived from the study can aid in designing appropriate protocols for the conservation of the studied species.