Effect of seed priming on seed parameters of China aster, Callistephus chinensis (L) Nees Pangtu Shabnam*, Sharma BP, Dilta BS1, Chaudhary SVS Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan, 173230, Himachal Pradesh, India 1Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan, 173230, Himachal Pradesh, India *Email for correspondence: shabnam.pangtu34@gmail.com
Online published on 21 August, 2018. Abstract The present investigations were carried out at the research farm and laboratory of the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh in two sets of experiments during 2016–2017 on cultivars Poornima and Kamini laid out in randomized block design (factorial) comprising eight seed priming treatments viz control, hydropriming with water, priming with GA3(50, 100 and 150 ppm) and biopriming with Trichoderma viride @ 1 × 104, 1 × 105 and 1 × 106 cfu/ml. The results obtained indicated that maximum values for time taken to harvest the seeds, number of seeds per head and seed yield per plant wererecorded with the treatment GA3@100ppm(P4)in the cultivars Poornima and Kamini respectively. Seedquality parameters studied under laboratory conditions revealed maximum 1000-seed weight, germination percentage, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seed vigour index-I and seed vigour index-II and minimum electrical conductivity with the seed priming using GA3 @ 100 ppm (P4) in cultivars Poornima and Kamini respectively. Thus seeds of cv Kamini treated with GA3 (100 ppm) for 24 h obtained the best results for most of the desirable seed yield parameters. Top Keywords Priming, seed quality, China aster, seed yield. Top |