The effect of several environmental factors on germination of medicinal herb Centella asiatica was investigated. Freshly harvested
seeds of C. asiatica did not germinate even after gibberellic acid (GA3) treatment and exposure to different treatments with light
qualities, while two-three months old seeds exhibited germination (82%) without pre-treatment at warm environment (25 -30°C).
GA3 treatment induced germination by two weeks earlier than in control. Germination was significantly (p=0.001) higher in red
and white light than in blue and far red light. In addition, germination of C. asiatica was sensitive towards the salt stress and was
significantly inhibited at 6500 ppm NaCl. The leaf leachates from invasive weeds Chromolaena odorata, Ageratum conyzoides,
Parthenium hysterophorus and Xanthium strumarium showed inhibitory effects on seed germination of C. asiatica. Parthenium
hysterophorus had significant effect (p<0.001) on seed germination. These data contribute for the establishing of an efficient
protocol for C. asiatica cultivation.
