Dormancy breaking and germination of cat thyme Teucrium marum (Labiatae)

Cat thyme is an important medicinal plant used for treating many diseases. With renewed interest as arthropod deterrent and repellents, there is immediate need to cultivate cat thyme on large scale in the laboratory. To improve cat thyme seed germination, obstacles involved in its seed dormancy must be investigated. To address such challenges, mechanical abrasion and chemical treatments were used to enhance the rate of seed germination. The application of mechanical abrasion with low speed grinding using walnut husk to improve the germination of cat thyme seeds was studied. In addition, to improve the seed germination percentage, the seeds were further treated with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (2.5, 5, 10 and 15%). The results show that the treatment of 5% hydrogen peroxide concentration promoted the seed germination rate. After the aforementioned different treatments, Baggy method was used and it achieved 50% germination rate within 30 days. In conclusion, the germination tests showed that cat thyme seed germination improved with combination of mechanical abrasion and 5% hydrogen peroxide treatments.   Key words: Cat thyme, seed germination percentage, hydrogen peroxide.