Effect of Different Treatments and Packaging Material on Germination and Seed Quality Characteristics of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) under Ambient Storage Condition (Variety-SiA-3088)

Abstract

The current study was conducted in 2021 at the Lab Experimentation Center at the Genetics and Plant Breeding Department of the Naini Agricultural Institute at the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences in Prayagraj. Four replications and thirteen different treatments, including T0- control, T1: Cow urine at 2% for 6 hours; T2: Cow urine at 4% for 12 hours; T3: Cow urine at 8% for 24 hours. T4: 0.25 percent seaweed extract for 12 hours; T5: 0.50 percent seaweed extract for 12 hours; T6: 0.75 percent seaweed extract for 12 hours. T7- Tulasi leaf extract at 5% for six hours, T9: Tulasi leaf extract 15% for 24 hours, T8: Tulasi leaf extract 10% for 12 hours T10 has a 2 percent moringa leaf extract, T11 a 4 percent moringa leaf extract, and T12 an 8 percent moringa leaf extract. and three different types of packaging P1: polythene bag, P2: gunny bag, and P3: hermetic container taken for the second and fourth months of 2020–21, respectively. Analysis of variance data from the lab experiment was laid out in completely randomized block design showed that the foxtail millets seeds variety produced superior results for all of the characters under study, including germination percentage, shoot length, root length, seedling length, seedling fresh weight, seedling dry weight, and seed vigour index -1 and -2. Among the three packaging materials, the variety Sia-3088 treated with cow urine (T1-cow urine 2%) was found to be beneficial in all seedling features. Seeds were shown to be effectively stored in polythene bags with high percentage of germination under ambient storage conditions.