Studies on influence of provenances, seed priming and seed storage in hybrid maize (Zea mays L.)
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Date
2013-10-23
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru
Abstract
The field experiment was conducted at three different provenances
viz., Mandya, Hassan and Chickballapur with two Maize hybrids Hema
and Nithyashree with three fertilizer levels during kharif 2011 and 2012
and the laboratory study on seed priming and seed storage was
conducted at GKVK, Bangalore during the same period.
Among provenances, Mandya (southern dry zone) is more suitable
provenance for seed production of Hema with the application of more
than 50% RDF (225:112:60kg NPK ha-1) to obtain higher growth and
seed yield parameters like plant height (193.10cm), time to 50% flowering
(47.74days), cob length (20.33cm), seeds per cob (593) and seed yield
(77.08qha-1); seed quality parameters like germination percentage (99%),
SVI-I (3767) and low electrical conductivity (0.106dSm-1) compared to
Nithyashree hybrid with lower seed yield (34.75qha-1), SVI-I (3136) and
high electrical conductivity (0.154dSm-1).
Seeds subjected for natural ageing for 12 months and accelerated
ageing at different temperature and relative humidity levels for 12 days
with an interval of three days at Bangalore conditions. At the end of three
day accelerated ageing, reduced germination percentage (100 to 93%),
total soluble proteins (93 to 80μg g-1), amylase activity (0.343 to 0.300mg
maltose released min-1mg-1), DNA content (60 to 46ngg-1 of seed) and
increased electrical conductivity (0.106 to 0.230dSm-1) observed. The
reduction in quality parameters of three day of accelerated aged seeds
are equivalent to twelve months naturally aged seeds. Therefore
accelerated ageing test can be used to predict the storability of maize by
observing the molecular and biochemical changes.
Seed lots having low and high vigour (<70 and >90% germination
respectively) primed with different priming chemicals and kept in
different temperatures to improve the seed quality in low vigour seeds
and observed that the seed quality parameters were improved by priming
with KH2PO4 (1%) for fourteen hours at ambient temperature (28ºC).
Description
Keywords
sowing, germinability, maize, fertilizers, enzymes, hybrids, proteins, relative humidity, planting, drying