Influence of Selected Organic Priming Agents on Germination and Early Seedling Growth of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

The study examined the effect of nine organic seed treatments on the germination and seedling vigour of two rice types (ADT 49 and Sonamasuri) in the laboratory. The experiment was carried out in kharif 2021 and 2022 using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications.The treatments were Panchakavya (5%), Moringa leaf extract (5%), Neem leaf extract (5%), Notchi leaf extract (5%), Vermiwash (25%), cow urine (25%), coconut water (12.5%), and Beejamrutham (5%), as well as an untreated control. Significant variations were seen across the treatments for all germination parameters tested, including rate of imbibition, germination percentage, speed of germination, root and shoot length, dry matter accumulation, and vigour index. Among the treatments, 5% Panchakavya produced the maximum germination (97% in ADT 49 and 95% in Sonamasuri), root and shoot lengths (23.8 cm and 15.2 cm in ADT 49; 20.8 cm and 13.8 cm in Sonamasuri), and vigour indices (1785 and 1624, respectively). This was closely followed by 5% Beejamrutham and 25% Cow urine, both of which performed significantly better than the control. Treatments showed significant impacts (p < 0.05) on imbibition rate, germination %, seedling growth, dry matter production, and vigour indices. Panchakavya (5%) consistently shown higher germination and vigour, followed by Beejamrutham (5%) and cow urine (25%), with the untreated control showing the lowest results. The untreated control had the lowest values across all metrics. The results clearly show the effectiveness of organic priming treatments, notably Panchakavya, in improving seed germination and seedling establishment. As a result, Panchakavya can be recommended as a good organic priming agent for enhancing seed quality in organic rice production systems.