BIOCHEMICAL CONTENTS, THEIR VARIATION AND CHANGES IN FREE AMINO-ACIDSDURING SEED-GERMINATION IN TERMINALIA-ARJUNA

The leaves, twigs, stem and bark of T. arjuna were analysed for their protein, phenol, tannin, nitrate, oxalate in addition to vitamin C, an thocyanin and chlorophyll in the leaves. The variation of some of thes e parameters in the leaves with season and leaf position was also stud ied. The time course changes in amino acids and protein during seed ge rmination in T. arjuna, showed initial decrease in protein followed by increase at subsequent stages. The seeds contain high level of serine (21.7%) and glutamic acid (22.6%) the later decreased as the germinat ion progressed. After 30 days seeds showed higher amounts of serine (2 6.0%), valine (2.8%), proline (10.6%), methionine (3.4%), histidine (5 .6%) and lysine (7.4%) while threonine, glutamic acid, tyrosine and ar ginine were in lower amounts than that of initial stage at 0 day.