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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2025)

Enhancing rice seedling growth and vigour through liquid organic manure-based seed priming

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8976
Submitted
20 April 2025
Published
13-08-2025 — Updated on 27-08-2025
Versions

Abstract

Seed invigoration is a post-harvest treatment aimed at enhancing seed germination and seedling growth, with seed priming being one of the most important techniques in this category. A pot culture experiment was conducted in the net house of the Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during September 2023. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of seed priming with liquid organic manures (LOMs) on the germination and seedling vigour of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The LOMs employed in the study included beejamrit, jeevamrit, panchagavya and vermiwash, each tested at four concentrations: 2.5 %, 3 %, 5 % and 6 %. Compared to control treatments (hydropriming and unprimed seeds), LOMs priming significantly enhanced germination parameters and seedling vigour. Among the treatments, vermiwash at 5 % concentration recorded higher values for germination index (125.3), germination speed (2.68) and mean daily germination (2.1). Panchagavya at 5 % concentration showed the highest germination rate index, whereas the coefficient of velocity of germination was greatest with vermiwash at 3 %. Beejamrit at 6 % resulted in the highest germination percentage, while seedling vigour index II was highest in vermiwash 6 %. Both treatments performed comparably to vermiwash 5 %. Although several treatments excelled in specific parameters, vermiwash 5 % consistently outperformed others across multiple germination metrics, indicating its strong potential as an effective seed priming agent for rice. Additionally, beejamrit and jeevamrit demonstrated specific advantages, suggesting their suitability for tailored applications based on crop-specific requirements or desired outcomes.

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