Delphinium denudatum Wall. Ex. Hook. & Thoms. (Nirbisi or Jadwar), is an important medicinal plant widely used in both Ayurvedic and Unani systems for its diverse therapeutic benefits. Uncontrolled extraction from the wild combined with severely limited natural regeneration has reduced its populations to a precarious state, making scientifically grounded propagation strategies a matter of considerable urgency. The present study characterised seed morpho-physiological attributes across three altitudinal populations in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, collected from 850 m, 1550 m, and 2000 m above sea level (asl), and assessed the joint influence of gibberellic acid (GA₃) concentration (100, 200, and 300 ppm) and 4 temperature regimes (15°C, 20°C, 25°C, and greenhouse conditions) on germination percentage (GP%), mean germination time (MGT), and mean daily germination (MDG). Seeds from all three altitudinal populations recorded 100% viability at the time of harvest. Seed size and weight varied significantly across altitudes (P< 0.01), with the 1550 m population consistently yielding the largest seeds (length: 1.89 ± 0.18 mm; width: 1.10 ± 0.12 mm; weight: 0.13 ± 0.04 g). Seed moisture content and imbibition capacity also showed marked altitudinal differences. Among all treatment combinations evaluated, seeds from the 1550 m population pre-treated with 300 ppm GA₃ (treatment Gb3) achieved the highest germination percentage (88.88 ± 9.62%) at 20 °C, alongside the highest MDG (0.29 ± 0.05). These findings establish clear evidence base for developing large-scale propagation protocols and ex situ conservation strategies for this threatened Himalayan species.

Delphinium denudatum, gibberellic acid, seed germination, altitudinal variation, TTC viability test, ex situ conservation, Himalayan medicinal plants

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