Influence of various temperatures, seed priming treatments and durations on germination and growth of the medicinal plant Aspilia africana.

For millennia, Aspilia africana has been used across Africa to treat various diseases including malaria, wounds, and diabetes. In this study, temperature influenced the in vitro germination of A. africana with highest final germination percentage (FGP) and germination index (GI) of 65.0 ± 7.64% and 2.26 ± 0.223, respectively, at 19.8 °C. Priming seeds with HO, KNO and GA (gibberellic acid 3) improved both in vitro germination and ex vitro emergence of A. africana seeds. Seed priming with [Formula: see text] M GA produced overall highest in vitro FGP (from 90.0 ± 4.08% to 100 ± 0.00%) and GI (from 2.97 ± 0.385 to 3.80 ± 0.239) across all priming durations. Seeds primed with KNO had better germination parameters for 6 and 12 h compared to 18 and 24 h. Furthermore, the highest in vitro FGP (100 ± 0.00%) was observed in seeds primed for 12 h with [Formula: see text] M GA. Ex vitro A. africana seed emergence was significantly enhanced by GA priming. Priming A. africana seeds with HO, KNO, and GA improved their growth after 3 months, with the overall best growth for seeds primed with [Formula: see text] M GA. Seed priming of A. africana is a feasible approach for improving germination and seed emergence, and enhancing plant growth.