Effect of Different Seed Priming Techniques on Growth, Flowering and Seed Attributes in Balsam (Impatiens balsamina)

Abstract

The present experiment was carried out at the Horticulture Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in balsam (Impatiens balsamina) using Factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising of 5 genotypes and 5 seed priming treatments viz., control, biopriming with Trichoderma (1mg/g of seeds), thiourea (50 ppm), thiourea (50 ppm) + Trichoderma (1mg/g of seeds) and hydropriming with distilled water. The findings concluded that maximum plant height (82.67 cm), maximum plant spread (81.22 cm), highest number of leaves per plant (618.12), earliest flowering (48.74 days), longest flowering duration (64.12 days), flowers per plant (283.41), number of seeds per pod (11.62 seeds), number of pods per plant (302.22) and number of seeds per plant (2977.89) were recorded with the treatment including thiourea (50 ppm) + Trichoderma (1mg/g of seeds). Present study showed that pre-sowing treatment of balsam seeds with thiourea (50 ppm) + Trichoderma (1mg/g of seeds) for 24 hours significantly improved the vegetative, flowering and seed attributes.