Germination Behaviour and Occurrence of Albino Seedlings in Sapindus emarginatus Vahl

Soapnut being one of the largely traded non timber forest product (NTFP) of Tamil Nadu, work on germplasm assemblage of Sapindus emarginatus was undertaken to conserve and domesticate the species for sustainable use. Candidate plus trees (CPTs) were identified based on their fruit yield from four locations in Tamil Nadu. Fruits from selected 55 CPTs were collected and studied for seed germination and seedling vigour index. Out of four populations viz. Thengumarada, Pillur, Mettupalayam and Palani, albino seedlings were noticed in half-sib progenies of two CPTs of Pillur. The germination and seedling vigour index were found to be statistically significant in these populations as compared to Pillur indicating the need for concerted efforts to conserve the Pillur population.