BIOPRIMING OF MAIZE HYBRID AND ITS PARENTAL LINES FOR ENHANCEMENT OF SEED QUALITY AND YIELD
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Date
2024-05-17
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Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
The present investigation was carried out in the Agricultural Research Station, Jangamaheshwarapuram, Gurazala, Andhra Pradesh during 2021-22 to study the effect of seed priming with biofertilizers on seed quality and yield of maize hybrid, DHM-117 and its parental lines, BML-6 and BML-7.
Fresh seeds of maize hybrid, DHM-117 and its parental lines, BML-6 and BML-7, were subjected to hydropriming and biopriming using different biofertilizers viz., Azospirillum, Azotobacter and Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria @ 20 % either individually or in combination for 12 h and shade dried to 12 % moisture content. Primed seed along with unprimed seed were evaluated for seed quality by adopting Two Factorial Completely Randomized Design with four replications and field parameters by Two Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications.
Results of analysis of variance disclosed that seeds primed with a combination of Azospirillum @ 20 % + Azotobacter @ 20 % + Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria @ 20 % recorded the highest improvement in all seed quality parameters viz., germination, field emergence, seedling length, seedling vigour index and electrical conductivity of seed leachates. Maize hybrid, DHM-117 recorded significantly higher values than parental lines, BML-6 and BML-7. But the per cent improvement over control was found to be more in the parental line, BML-7.
In field studies, biopriming with a combination of Azospirillum @ 20 % + Azotobacter @ 20 % + Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria @ 20 % in DHM-117, BML-6 and BML-7 showed the best improvement in all the field parameters viz., plant height at 30, 60 days after sowing (DAS) and maturity, days to 50 % tasseling and days to 50 % silking, cob length, cob weight, single plant yield, kernel yield plot-1, kernel yield ha-1, 100 kernel weight, stover yield and harvest index. Bioprimimg
treatments that included combination of biofertilizers showed better performance over treatments with individual biofertilizers. Among the hybrid and parental lines, DHM-117 (hybrid) showed best performance in all characters which was statistically superior to parental lines BML-6 and BML-7.
Seed quality parameters of harvested crop i.e., germination, field emergence, seedling length, seedling vigour index and electrical conductivity of seed leachates were significantly influenced by the genotypes. Biopriming treatments exerted a significant influence on germination and seedling length while non-significant effect on field emergence, seedling vigour index and electrical conductivity of seed leachates. Interaction effects between genotype and treatment showed non-significant influence on germination, field emergence, seedling length, seedling vigour index and electrical conductivity of seed leachates.
The present study disclosed that among hybrid and its parental lines, DHM-117, recorded higher values upon biopriming, while the per cent improvement over control was higher in parental lines in seed quality as well as field parameters. Biopriming with a combination of all the three biofertilizers Azospirillum @ 20 % + Azotobacter @ 20 % + Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria @ 20 % was more efficient in enhancing the seed quality, field performance and yield of maize hybrid and its parental lines.