Germination of lavender ( Lavandula angustifolia) plant seeds and production of its seedlings callus cultures

Aims: This study aims to find an efficient technique for germinating the dormant ( Lavandula angustifolia) seeds. Methodology and results: The seeds were treated by freezing, scratching and immersion in different concentrations (1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.1 g L-1) of the gibberellic acid solution for 24 h. The results appeared when seeds immersed in 0.5 g L-1 gibberellic acid stimulated the high germination percent and the rate reached 75% after 6 days and was superior to the other treatments. The results referred to the callus initiated from hypocotyl stems and leaves of lavender seedlings on solid MS medium containing 3.0 mg L-1 naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 10 mg L-1 benzyl adenine (BA) after 20 days. It is distinguished by its green color and its semi-cohesive texture. In addition, it is developed from stems, while yellowish-green color and friable when initiated from the leaves; subculture the two types of callus after 15 days produced good cultures. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Several methods can be used successfully to break the dormancy of lavender seeds. The technique of immersion in GA3 solution by 0.5 g L-1 for 24 h improved over the rest of the techniques in its ability to germinate seeds for 6 days.