Abstract: Collecting seeds from Xianfeng county, Lichuan city, Enshi city in Hubei province, Guizhou province and Sichuan province, the soaking time, soaking water temperature, hormone treatment and cold storage treatment were studied in order to find out the best way of seed germination treatment and the difference of seed germination in different places. At the same time, the emergence rate of seeds in different areas was studied. Result showed that, there was no significant difference in the germination of V. officinalis seeds collected from five regions. The best way of seed germination was that the seeds were refrigerated for 28 d at -5 ℃ before sowing and then soaked in 0.08% GA solution at 50 ℃ for 16 h, with the germination rate of more than 30%. Under the best treatment conditions, four regions in Enshi prefecture （the altitude range was 580~1 436 m） on the basis of seed germination, the emergence rate was more than 40%. The seeds of V. officinalis germinated well under suitable conditions and could be widely promoted in Enshi prefecture.

Key words: Valeriana officinalis, seed reproduction, germination rate, emergence rate