Keywords: Onion, okra, standard germination, vigor and viability

Study was carried out to assess the effects of different locations (altitude) and storage periods on storability of onion (Allium cepa L.), cv. 'Red Creole' and okra (Abelmosch os esculentus L. Moench), cv. 'Parbhani Kranti' seeds during September 2001 to June 2002 (9 months). Seeds were stored in plastic sacks under ambient condition of traders storage location in Kathmandu (1300 masl), Pokhara (900 masl) and Narayanghat (400 masl). Each treatment (location) consisted of 4 replications having 5 kg of seeds. Seeds were sampled and analyzed at Horticultural Laboratory of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Rampur, Chitwan at 1-month interval. Both storage locations (attitudes) and storage periods influenced the normal seedling production (standard germination), seedling emergence (viability) and speed of germination (vigor). When compared after 9 months of storage the germination percent of onion seed was highest at Kathmandu (69.81%) location followed by Pokhara (68.19%) and Narayanghat (52.25%). In case of okra also, the seed germination was highest at Kathmandu (66.25%) location followed by Pokhara (65.13%) and Narayanghat (57.69%). The germination percent, vigor and viability were found to be decreasing through out the storage period under ambient condition of all three locations. It was also observed that the seed quality was maintained for longer period in Kathmandu than in other locations even under ambient condition. The results revealed that the altitude play major role on seed storability due to micro climate variation.