| Abstrakt: |
The laboratory experiment was conducted to standardize the seed priming techniques for enhancement of seed yield and quality in parental lines of hybrid maize (Zea mays L.) MAH 15-84 at Department of Seed Science and Technology, CoA, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during 2022. The seeds of both male (MAI-19-20) and female (MAI-19-117) parents were primed with KNO3 and ZnSO4 at 0.5 and 1 per cent, gibberellic acid (GA3 ) and salicylic acid (SA) at 50 and 100 ppm and hydroprimed for 12 and 24 h and unprimed seeds were used as control. The results revealed that, among treatments, seeds of male and female parents primed with 50 ppm GA3 for 12 h (T9) recorded highest seed germination (99.33 and 99.00%), root length (29.70 and 27.33 cm), shoot length (25.26 and 26.02 cm), seedling dry weight (93.31 and 92.33 mg), SVI-I (5459 and 5282), SVI-II (9268 and 9141), total dehydrogenase activity (2.456 and 2.348 at A480 nm) and least electrical conductivity (0.262 and 0.228 dSm-1), less duration for radicle emergence (70.93 and 69.07 h) and T50 value (3.08 and 3.24 days) respectively, which was followed by seeds primed with 1 per cent ZnSO4 for 12 h (T7 ) compared to control (89.33 and 90.67%, 20.40 and 20.42 cm, 18.09 and 18.01 cm, 78.41 and 82.00 mg, 3438 and 3484, 7004 and 7435, 0.974 and 0.724 at A480 nm 0.610 and 0.650 dSm-1, 80.83 and 82.27 h and 5.04 and 4.78 days respectively). Thus, seed priming with 50 ppm GA3 for 12 h and 1 per cent ZnSO4 for 12 h found to be the best treatments to enhance the seed quality of hybrid maize compared to other priming treatments and control. Hence, these two treatments could be utilised for commercial exploitation of maize hybrid seed production to get better seed yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
