Evaluating the Effectiveness of Organic Seed Priming Formulations on Germination and Seedling Growth in Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) cv. Kagzi

Abstract

The primary objective of this research was to evaluating the effectiveness of organic seed priming formulations on germination and seedling growth in acid lime cv. Kagzi at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, during the period 2020-2021. The study comprised six distinct treatments of organic formulations, including beejamrit, cow urine (50% and 100%), cow dung, cow dung slurry, and control (without soaking). The seeds were soaked for a duration of 24 hours. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The study findings revealed that the control (without soaking) exhibited the highest germination percentage (45.17) and germination rate (2.38), followed closely by the beejamrit. Furthermore, the beejamrit treatment demonstrated remarkable seedling growth at 180 days after sowing, with the highest values recorded for seedling diameter (3.23 mm), seedling shoot length (36.90 cm), fresh shoot weight (3.26 g), fresh root weight (1.26 g), tap root length (37.57 cm), and survival percentage (91.50). Cow dung slurry also exhibited notable performance in terms of seedling growth parameters at 180 days after sowing with the beejamrit. Cow dung slurry showcased the highest number of secondary roots (50.00), number of leaves per seedling (31.67), leaf chlorophyll content (33.80 SPAD), and nitrogen content (1.52%), closely followed by the beejamrit treatment. Accelerating the rate of germination and growth of lime seedlings has become a top concern for nurserymen and scientists on a national level to reduce expenditures and time for seedling maintenance. For overcoming such types of problems at the nursery stage, contributing to more resilient and sustainable farming practices using organic seed priming is a good alternative against chemical seed priming.