Efficacy of Homoeopathic Ultra High Dilutions on Germination and Growth against Colocynth (Bitter Apple) Seeds

Background: Use of agrochemicals have reported a spike in the number of cases of leukemia, births with malformations and these studies and researches have led us in search of ecological alternatives including our model of Agro-homoeopathy. This study was planned to establish the efficacy of Homoeopathic Ultra high dilutions namely Colocynthis, Sulphur and Carbo vegetabilis in centesimal potencies (30C, 200C, 1M) on germination of Colocynth (Bitter apple) seeds in a controlled environment. Methodology: 300 surface sized seeds (three replicates of 10 seeds each) were placed on cotton pads and treated with twenty milliliters of distilled water and solutions of homoeopathic medicines of specific potency (Colocynthis, Sulphur, Carbo vegetabilis in 30C, 200C and 1M), ethyl alcohol and distilled water as control were applied. They were allowed to germinate under controlled conditions at 30 degrees Celsius in darkness for 14 days. Outcome parameters included rate of germination of seeds calculated on Day 1 (baseline), Day 2, Day 7 and Day 14 (terminal). Seeds were assessed for length of radicle recorded at 14th day. Observation and Results: Colocynthis 30C and Sulphur 30C showed efficacy in variables associated with seed germination rate (80%) and total number of seeds germinated. It was followed by the beneficial action of Colocynthis 1M compared to other treated groups. Ethyl Alcohol reported germination at 0%. Highest radicle length was observed at 1cm for Colocynthis 30C (Group A) and lowest for Ethyl Alcohol (0cm). Conclusion: The efficacy of Colocynthis 30C on the growth and germination against Colocynth (Bitter apple) seeds is established both in terms of germination rate and length of radicle as compared to Sulphur 30C having equivalent action which paves the path for using homoeopathic ultra high dilutions in the field of agriculture, sufficing the demands of farmers over use of chemical fertilizers.