Abstract
Seed priming is an effective, eco-friendly method to promote seed germination and seedling vigor of okra to overcome the reduced and delayed germination in fresh or stored okra seeds caused by seed hardness. An experiment was carried to evaluate the effects of different priming on okra seeds germination and seedling vigor using Arka Anamika variety at Horticulture lab of Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Investigation was carried out with 6 treatments (T1: seed priming with tap water, T2: seed priming with 200ppm NAA solution, T3: seed priming with 10% PEG-200 solution, T4: seed priming with 200ppm GA3 solution, T5: seed priming with 5% Trichoderma solution and T6 no priming) with 4 replications in Complete Randomized Design (CRD). Seeds primed with T1 to T5 were soaked for 24 hours and shade dried for 6 hours before sowing. Priming with T4 was found to be best in terms of maximum seed germination (60.12%), seed vigor index (5772.68 cm), mean germination rate (7.53 seeds per day). The highest shoot length (81.40 mm) was observed at T1 whereas enhancement of root length occurred with the priming with T3. All treatments had a significant positive effect on all the germination parameters in comparison to control. The study concluded that GA3 priming enhanced germination as well as seed vigor in okra and hydro priming and tricho-priming can be used as an alternative to GA3 priming among farmers in Nepal.
Highlights
Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] is a native crop of Tropical Africa that belongs to the family Malvaceae
T4 (200ppm GA3 priming) showed a greater influence on seed vigor index, and the germination rate was slightly elevated in T1, T3, and T5 when compared with other treatments
Priming of okra seeds might be the best option to overcome the reduced and delayed germination in fresh or stored okra seeds caused by seed hardness
Summary
Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] is a native crop of Tropical Africa that belongs to the family Malvaceae. Dietary fibers and distinct seed protein balanced in both lysine and tryptophan amino acids; it is called “a perfect villager’s vegetable” (Kumar et al, 2010) It is an important summer vegetable of Nepal and is mainly cultivated for its tender pods and is consumed in many different forms; raw, steamed, boiled, or fried ( Farinde et al, 2007; Maurya et al, 2013). Hydro-priming i.e. seed soaking in pure water and re-drying to original moisture content before sowing; Osmo-priming i.e. soaking the seed in a solution of osmoticum; Hormonal priming i.e. soaking of seeds in different plant growth regulators(GA3, NAA, etc); halo-priming i.e. use of salt solutions for seed soaking, bio-priming i.e. seed imbibition together with biological inoculation(bacteria, fungi, etc.) of seed and solid-matrix priming i.e. seed soaking in solid medium(matrix) for controlled water uptake; are commonly used seed priming methods (Lutts et al, 2016). The experiment aimed to study the effect of various priming treatments on the germination of okra seeds for overcoming the germination hindrance of okra seeds
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