Domestication of medicinal plants is an aim to both improve their availability and to protect their natural habitants due to over harvesting. However, the presence of dormancy in the species is a problem for assessing seed quality for cultivation.Seeds of thirty important medicinal plant species produced in WesternIran (Lorestan province) in 2011were tested for germination, both with and without dormancy breaking treatments.Species were classified into 3 groups based on their behaviour without dormancy breaking: germination > 70% (5 species); 30-70% (1 species); and <30% (24 species).Favorable treatments to break dormancy of the species below 70% germination were considered based on ecological conditions similar to natural habitat.Treatments used werescarification (11 out of 14 species improved, e.g.Allium altissimum), KNO3 (No impact on any of the 13 species), GA3250 and 500 ppm (1 species,Doremaaucheri, improved out of 9), prechillingfor 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks (9 species out of 17, e.g. Fritillariaimperialis), combining prechilling 4 weeks+GA3 250 and 500 ppm (1 species, Ferulagoangulate, out of 6),prechilling for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks+scarification(Onopordonacanthium), combining prechilling 4 weeks + sulfuric acid 98% for 10, 20 and 30 minutes (1 species of Pistacia atlanticaout of 6). Therefore, based on their reactions to the treatments, it was found that 5 species had no dormancy, 9 species had physical dormancy, 9 species with physiological dormancy, 2 species with Morphophysiological dormancy and 5 specieshad combinationaldormancy.

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