Potentiality of seed priming with Polyethylene glycol and KH2PO4 to rice seed production

Seed priming with PEG and KH2PO4 on rice

Abstract

Poor seed germination and weak seedling establishment are major constraints in rice cultivation, often leading to poor plant stands and reduced yield. Seed priming, particularly osmopriming, is an effective technique to improve seed vigor, germination, and early seedling growth, thereby enhancing crop establishment and overall productivity. A field experiment was conducted  to evaluate the effect of osmopriming on seed production of rice. The experiment consisted of seven treatments: T1 = distilled water, T2 = 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) for 24 hours, T3 = 20% PEG 6000 for 24 hours, T4 = 25% PEG 6000 for 24 hours, T5 = 1% KH2PO4 for 6 hours, T6 = 2% KH2PO4 for 6 hours, and T7 = 3% KH2PO4 for 6 hours. Various growth and yield parameters were recorded, including plant height, days to 50% flowering, total number of tillers hill-1, effective tillers hill-1, panicle length, total grains panicle-1, filled grains panicle-1, test weight, and seed yield. The highest number of effective tillers hill-1 (13.36), filled grains panicle-1 (168.66), and seed yield (687.73 g m-²) were observed when seeds were primed with 2% KH2PO4 for 6 hours (T6). Overall, seed priming with 2% KH2PO4 for 6 hours proved to be the most effective treatment for improving growth and seed yield in rice. This technique may be recommended to enhance crop establishment and productivity in rice cultivation.