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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #299570
Title: Novel repellent and antifeedents properties lead us to investigate cultivation of the cat thyme T. Marum

Author
item Chauhan, Kamlesh
item Webb, Meiling
item Natarajan, Savithiry - Savi

Submitted to: African Journal of Biotechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2018
Publication Date: 1/24/2018
Citation: Chauhan, K.R., Webb, M.Z., Natarajan, S.S. 2018. Novel repellent and antifeedents properties lead us to investigate cultivation of the cat thyme T. Marum. African Journal of Biotechnology. 17(4):91-95.

Interpretive Summary: Because of their newly found insect repellent properties we were interested in cultivating cat thyme plants in our green house. The challenging problem was getting the seed to germinate within a relatively short time. To address this challenge we conducted mechanical abrasion and chemical treatments to enhance rates of seed germination. With our new protocol combining both mechanical abrasion and chemical treatment, cat thyme seed germination was substantially improved. Availability of this improved protocol for hard-to-germinate seeds will be useful for medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation and thus this information will be useful for the biopesticide industry and scientists interested in insect repellents.

Technical Abstract: Cat Thyme is an important medicinal plant and used for treating many diseases. To improve cat thyme seed germination, researchers must overcome obstacles involved in cat thyme seed dormancy. To address such challenges we conducted, mechanical abrasion and chemical treatments to enhance rate of seed germination. We studied the application of mechanical abrasion with low speed grinding using walnut husk to improve the seed germination of cat thyme seeds. In addition, to improve the seed germination percentage, we treated the seeds further in different concentration of hydrogen peroxide including 2.5, 5, 10, and 15%. Our results showed that the treatment of 5%hydrogen peroxide concentration promoted the seed germination rate. We achieved 50% germination rate within 30 days. In conclusion, our germination tests evidenced that cat thyme seed germination was improved by combining mechanical abrasion and chemical treatment.