Research Article Open Access

Effect of Thermophysical Methods of Seed Treatments Like Hot Water, Hot Air and Microwave Seed Treatment on Seed, Seedling Quality Parameters and Disease Incidence in Solanum melongena

Abstract

Objective:Solanum melongena is cultivated mostly as rainy season crop. High rainfall hinders the seed germination and enhances the process of disease infection. Thermophysical methods of seed treatment have resulted in higher seed germination and less seed borne diseases without any environmental and health hazards as compared to chemical treatment. The aim of study was to standardize the temperature and duration of thermophysical seed treatment on seed quality parameters in brinjal.

Methods: The present investigation was carried out in the Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during January 2021 in laboratory conditions and March 2021in field conditions. Hot water, hot air, microwave seed treatment and untreated seeds were tested for their effect of seed quality parameters and disease incidence in brinjal under laboratory conditions and nursery conditions.

Conclusions: Hot water treatment at 49°/60 minutes and 50°C/30 minutes, hot air treatment at 72°C/48 hours and 74°C/36 hours and microwave seed treatments at 10 seconds and15 seconds resulted in higher speed of germination, germination Percent, seedling length, seed vigour-I and seed vigour-II. These standardized treatments along with untreated were used in nursery conditions. In nursery conditions highest seedling growth was recorded in T₂: Microwave 15 seconds whereas speed of germination, speed of 50% germination, total emergence percent and less disease incidence was recorded in T5: hot water seed treatment at 49°/60 minutes.

Keywords

Solanum melongena; Diseases incidence; Hot air seed treatment; Hot water treatment; Microwave seed treatment; Seed quality parameters; Seedling growth parameters

Romika Thakur, Narender K Bharat, Ayush Gupta, Shireen Khatri, Ranjana Pathania

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