BS DiltaANU SHARMA2024-04-252024-04-252024-08-21https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810208394The investigation titled, "Effect of seed priming treatments and foliar application of paclobutrazol on seed yield and quality in salvia (Salvia splendens Sellow ex Schult.)" was carried out at Research Farm and Laboratory of the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP) during 2021-22 and 2022-23. First experiment was carried out in laboratory in completely randomized design (CRD) replicated four times, with 100 seeds per replication. There were twenty seed priming treatments viz. hydro priming for 12 hours, hot water treatments @ 50°C for 10 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes and soaking of seeds in distilled water overnight, priming of seeds in the solutions of GA3 (100 ppm, 150 ppm, 200 ppm, 250 ppm for 12 hours), cow urine (5, 10 , 15 and 20 % for 12 hours), cow dung slurry for 12 hours and 24 hours and bio priming of seeds with Pseudomonas chlororaphis for 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours including untreated control. Amongst them, priming of seeds in cow dung slurry for 24 hours significantly resulted in the increasing of germination percentage (85.38 %), seedling length (5.72 cm), seedling dry weight (2.36 mg), seed vigour index-I (488.44), seed vigour index-II (201.79) and it was followed by cow urine @ 10 % for 12 hours and GA3 @ 150 ppm for 12 hours. However, lowest germination percentage (51.62 %), seedling length (3.42 cm), seedling dry weight (1.48 mg), seed vigour index-I (176.62), seed vigour index-II (76.51) was observed in the treatment of bio priming with Pseudomonas chlororaphis for 96 hours. The second experiment was laid out in RCBD (factorial) for field studies and CRD (factorial) for laboratory studies. To carry out the second experiment, seed priming treatments viz., cow dung slurry for 24 hours, cow urine @ 10% for 12 hours and GA3 @ 150 ppm for 12 hours were selected to raise the stocky and good quality seedlings in pro trays under poly house conditions. Then the salvia seedlings (treatment wise) were transplanted under field conditions in 48 plots of size 1 m × 1 m to raise successful crop. After 40 days of transplanting, the salvia plants were sprayed with paclobutrazol (0, 5, 10 and 20 ppm). Data on various growth, flowering and seed yield and quality contributing characters were recorded. From the present investigation, it was concluded that the treatment combination, seed priming with cow dung slurry for 24 hours and foliar application of paclobutrazol @ 10 ppm after 40 days of transplanting had exhibited highest values for plant spread (42.34 cm), number of branches per plant (12.03), number of spikes per plant (16.83), number of pods per plant (546.03), seed yield (7.36 g/plant, 66.20 g/plot and 496.46 kg/ha), 1000 seed weight (3.805 g), germination percentage of freshly harvested seeds (83.75 %), seedling length (5.80 cm), seedling dry weight (2.22 mg), speed of germination (13.61) as well as lowest EC (0.146 dS/m). However, maximum plant height (46.51 cm), spike length (17.31 cm) and number of florets per spike (60.67) was reported in the plants raised from seed lot primed with cow dung slurry for 24 hours and without application of paclobutrazol. Accordingly, it may be inferred from the outcomes of the investigation that seed priming with cow dung slurry for 24 hours along with the foliar application of paclobutrazol @ 10 ppm is an appropriate treatment combination for promoting the growth, flowering as well as seed production in salvia under mid hill conditions of Himachal PradeshEnglishThesis