Effect of leaf area on dry matter production in aerated mung bean seed

Abstract

An area of plant science that is still unexplored is how leaf area affects crop dry matter production due to aeration of seed in osmoticum. In view of this, an experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm of NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan in the summer of 2003 and repeated in 2004. The seeds of two mung bean cultivars (NM-92 and NM-98) were primed, some for 6 h and others for 12 h in using either  distilled water (0MPa osmotic potential) or Polyethylene glycol-8000 (PEG) solution having -0.2, -0.5 and -1.2 MPa osmotic potential. A control treatment (dried seeds) was also included in the experiment. The primed seed were dried back, till the weight become constant and were store for sowing at 25°C. Data was collected on mung bean leaf area, dry matter production and growth parameters at different growth stages. Seed moisture content at maturity stage was also determined. There was no significant difference in leaf area for the different cultivars and seed treatment duration also did not lead to a significant difference in leaf area. However, seed priming techniques significantly affected the measured parameters.  Dried seed had developed lower leaf area and dry matter compared to primed seeds. An exponential linear model of leaf area and total dry matter revealed that dry matter production was linearly related to leaf area (r2 = 77.23).  The linear relationship between the leaf area and dry matter hold true our hypothesis and thus we concluded that beside environmental and genetical factors, the dry matter production is a function of leaf area in aerated seed of mung bean crop in semi-arid areas like North western Pakistan.   Key words: Mung bean, priming, growth, dry matter and leaf area.