Enhancing Walnut Seed Germination and Seedling Growth Through Stratification and Growing Media in the North Western Himalayas

Walnut is an important nut crop in the North Western Himalayas, but the scarcity of high‐quality planting material limits its widespread cultivation. In theseregions, walnut orchards are primarily established using seedling origin trees, and seed germination requires a stratification period. The study was conducted withnine treatment combinations, including three stratification periods (T 1 , 6 weeks; T 2 , 8 weeks; T 3 , 10 weeks) and two growing media treatments M 1 , cocopeat; M 2 , cocopeat + FYM (1:1), replicated thrice over two growing seasons (2023 and 2024) under a randomized block design (factorial). The objectives were to assess the effects of stratification duration and growing media on seed germination and seedling growth parameters and to identify the most effective combination for optimal growth. The results revealed that germination rates (87.99%) were higher in the seeds kept for 8‐week stratification and sown with cocopeat + FYM (1:1) mixture, with 41.24% increment in seed germination over seeds treated for 10‐week stratification and sown with only cocopeat media, simultaneously resulting in highest plant height (0.70 m) and total plant biomass (90.79%). These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing the production of quality walnut planting material in the North Western Himalayas.