Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Wild ber (Ziziphus rotundifolia Lamk.) is an adaptable fruit-tree species of ecological and economic importance in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of biostimulants and plant growth regulators in improving seed germination, seedling vigour and survival under nursery conditions. The experiment was conducted during 2021–22 at the Fruit Nursery, Department of Horticulture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Twelve treatments comprised an untreated control, five bio-stimulant treatments and gibberellic acid (GA₃), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), each at 50 and 100 mg/L. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with three replications. Among the treatments, GA₃ at 100 mg/L produced the highest germination percentage (73.0%, compared with 45.7% in the control), the highest relative seed germination value (159.9%), and the shortest time to germination (3.3 days, compared with 8.7 days in the control). This treatment also recorded the highest survival percentage at 120 days after sowing (98.7%), mean seedling length (27.7 cm, compared with 18.3 cm), mean fresh weight per seedling (9.36 g, compared with 4.16 g), and mean dry weight per seedling (3.91 g, compared with 1.53 g). GA₃ at 50 mg/L recorded the highest relative water content. Selected bio-stimulants also improved early seedling performance. These findings indicate that pre-sowing treatment with GA₃, particularly at 100 mg/L, can improve the nursery propagation of wild ber.