DEVELOPMENT OF SEED ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR ENHANCING PLANTING VALUE OF SEEDS IN MAIZE (Zea mays L.)
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Date
2022
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DRPCAU, PUSA
Abstract
Maize belongs to grass family having highest yield potential among cereals. It records third highest in production after rice and wheat among cereals in India and first in world. The continuously rising global population along with the shrinking cultivable land and climate change scenario is creating pressure for increased food production. Moreover, various abiotic stresses like heat, drought and low temperature stress affect the crop production drastically. Low temperature stress during sowing of Maize causes serious compromise with yield and seed quality traits. Hence, present investigation was carried out to develop seed enhancement technique for minimizing the yield losses due to poor emergence, stand establishment and yield and quality parameters. The experiment was conducted at Dholi Kothi Farm, TCA, Dholi in split- split plot design with 3 replications, during rabi 2021- 22. Fresh and old seed lots of two varieties viz. Shaktiman-1(SM-1) and Shaktiman-5(SM-5) were subjected to 14 treatments along with control. The treated seeds were analyzed for seed quality attributes in laboratory and were also sown in the field. The effect of variety, seed lots and treatments on field emergence, plant stand establishment, yield-attributing traits were studied in maize raised under low temperature conditions. The results revealed
that SM-1 was significantly superior for field emergence, plant stand establishment, plant height, first count, germination percentage, radicle emergence time, seed vigour indices over SM-5. Fresh lot of seeds performed significantly superior to the aged one. All the treatments were significantly superior over control except thermal treatment and chilling followed by thermal treatment. Treatment with melatonin (50μM), CaCl2 (2.2%) and DAB + Biophos affects many yield and quality traits positively. Seed treatment with gibberellic acid (100mg/litre) followed by shade drying showed significant superiority over the control for plant stand establishment after 5 weeks (79%), plant height (188.2 cm), seed set percentage (99.3%),1000 seed weight (242.1 g),plot yield (3.10kg), first count (82%), germination (96.5%), vigour index I (2479) & vigour index II (4.2). Even the aged seed lot treated with gibberellic acid also recorded higher germination (78.7%), vigour index I (1797), vigour index II (3.51), 1000- seed weight (226.0 g), and plot yield (2.65 kg) than other treatments on fresh as well as aged lots. Hydro priming (at 20˚C for 18 hrs) was at par with the gibberellic acid treated seeds for most of the emergence, yield and quality attributing traits. Therefore, either of the above treatments may be effective in mitigating the adverse effect of low temperature stress on emergence, stand establishment, yield and quality attributes in Maize.Among all the treatments, gibberellic acid (100mg/ litre) was observed to be the best treatment for improved seed yield and quality.