Effect of Seed Treatments on Seed Yield and Quality Parameters in Chickpea Seeds (Cicer arietinum L.) Cv. HC-7 and HC-5
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Authors
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MS PUNEETH RAJ
Department of Seed Science and Technology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana-125004, India
Author
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VS MOR
Department of Seed Science and Technology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana-125004, India
Author
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AXAY BHUKER
Department of Seed Science and Technology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana-125004, India
Author
Keywords:
Chickpea, Seed treatment, Biofertilizers, Seed yield, Seed qualityAbstract
The present investigation was carried out at the Department of Seed Science and Technology, CCS
Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, to assess the effect of different biological seed treatments on seed yield
and quality parameters of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars HC-5 and HC-7. The treatments comprised seed
inoculation with Rhizobium; seed coating on hydro-primed seeds (6 h at 20 °C) with Bio-NPK combined with
drought-alleviating bacteria (DAB); seed coating with Trichoderma harzianum (2 × 10v CFU g-
¹) @ 15 ml kg-¹ seed; and an untreated control. Treated seeds were first evaluated for laboratory seed quality parameters and
subsequently sown under field conditions to study growth, yield, and economic performance. The results revealed
that Rhizobium inoculation significantly improved seed quality and yield attributes in both cultivars, followed by
Bio-NPK + DAB seed coating, while the untreated control consistently recorded the lowest values. Germination
percentage was highest in Rhizobium-treated seeds (99.00% in HC-5) compared to the control (93.33% in HC-5).
Vigour Index-I was also significantly higher under Rhizobium treatment (2230 in HC-5 and 2600 in HC-7) than in
the control (2071 and 2388, respectively). Field evaluation showed significant effects of treatments on plant
height, number of seeds per plant, seed yield, and benefit–cost ratio. Maximum seed yield was recorded with
Rhizobium inoculation (28.11 q ha-¹ in HC-5 and 29.78 q ha-¹ in HC-7), whereas the untreated control produced the lowest yields (25.78 and 26.88 q ha-¹, respectively). Post-harvest seed quality analysis further confirmedsignificant improvements in seedling length and Vigour Index-I due to biological seed treatments. The study concludes that Rhizobium inoculation is an effective, economical, and environmentally sustainable seed treatment for enhancing seed quality and productivity in chickpea, with additional benefits from bio-based seed coating treatments such as Bio-NPK + DAB and Trichoderma harzianum.
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