Variability in Cone and Seed Characteristics and Germination Behaviour in Various Provenances of Himalayan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa Don)

Five provenances of Cupressus torulosa collected from Garhwal Himalaya were studied for their cone and seed characteristics and germination behaviour. The three different sizes of cones i.e., large (1.98 x 1.71 - 2.23 x 1.78 cm), medium (1.61 x 1.38 - 1.81 x 1.60 cm) and small (1.38 x 1.71 - 1.60 x 1.49 cm) were observed in this species. The cone moisture content varied from 46.55-62.05%. The largest seeds were observed in Mandal provenance (0.48 ± 0.004cm x 0.44 ± 0.007cm) and the smallest (0.25 ± 0.007cm x 0.22 ± 0.005cm) in Gwaldam provenance. The seed mass was maximum (1.11 ± 0.036g /100 seeds on fresh weight basis) in New Tehri provenance and minimum (0.540 ± 0.011g/100 seeds on the fresh weight basis) in Mandal provenance. The highest germination (66.0 ± 3.68%) was observed in Mandal provenance at 10°C under prechilled conditions and the lowest germination (14.0 ± 1.00%) at 20°C in Mandal provenance under controlled conditions.