SEED PRIMING IMPROVES GROWTH, YIELD AND SEED OIL CONTENTS OF SOYBEAN (Glycine max L.) CULTIVARS UNDER SEMI-ARID CONDITIONS OF SARGODHA, PAKISTAN
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
HAFIZ ABD-UR-RAHMAN
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
AHSAN AZIZ
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
MUHAMMAD ADNAN *
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
AMJED ALI
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
MUHAMMAD EHSAN SAFDAR
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
NAEEM AKHTAR
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
MUHAMMAD SHAKEEL HANIF
Fodder Research Institute Sargodha, Pakistan
MUHAMMAD ARSHAD JAVED
Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan
Muhammad ABDULLAH
Durum Wheat Technologist Wheat Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan
FAZAL UR REHMAN
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Soybean is an important edible oil seed crop but its low cultivation in Pakistan is due to problems related to its germination, early growth and improper seed formation. These issues can be overcome by growing of suitable cultivar and seed priming with different compounds that improves its germination and seed vigor. Present study was conducted to check the impact of four seed primers (hydro-priming, KNO3, MgSO4 and CaCl2) on growth and yield of three soybean cultivars (Ajmeri, Rawal-1 and NARC-2) under agro-climatic condition of Sargodha, Pakistan. Experiment was laid out as randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement having 4 replications during 2018. Results confirmed that priming of cultivar NARC-2 with 0.5% KNO3 solution showed highest germination count (34.22 m-2), maximum leaf area index (0.85), number of branches (8.53), number of pods per plant (25.65), number of seeds per plant (51.53), 1000-seed weight (121.49 g), seed yield (793.82 kg ha-1), biological yield (8041.3 kg ha-1) and seed oil contents (13.49%) as compared to all other treatments. Cultivar RAWAL-1 showed maximum plant height (46.82 cm) when its seeds were primed with 0.5% KNO3 solution as compared to other cultivars and priming treatments. Results suggested that NARC-2 with the application of 0.5% KNO3 as priming agent is suitable under the agro-climatic conditions of Sargodha.
Keywords: Soybean, seed priming, germination, vigor, cultivars