Effects of temperature and seed aged on seed dormancy breaking and germination characteristics of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff.

Background & Aim: Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. (Apiaceae) is one of the medicinal plants and endemic in Zagros Mountains, Iran, which unfortunately due to illegal harvest is endangered. In order to break dormancy and to evaluation of effect of different treatments on traits a factorial experiment base on completely randomized design was created on the seed zone Sar-aghaseyed functions in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, in four replications in  Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, Iran. The treatments were included three temperatures 4, 8 and 22 °C and years in the successive years 2009 and 2010. Experimental: In this experiment, germination characteristics, rootlet length and diameter, hypocotyls, and petiole, and also leaf length and width were recorded 100 days after planting. The results indicated germination was affected significantly (pResults & Discussion: The traits  means comparison of 4 °C  and 8 °C degreases  indicated all the traits were expressed better in 8 °C degrees with the exception of germination, However leaf length and width were significantly (p Industrial and Practical Recommendations: Since the most important reason in decreasing the percentage of this plant is the rate  of sleep duration of seed, using the findings of this research can help to decrease the duration of germination and, as a result,  to domesticate this kind of medicinal plant.