Effects of polymer seed coating and fungicide seed treatment on seedling characteristics of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) during storage

Abstract

The present storage experiment was conducted at Department of Genetic and Plant Breeding, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Uttar Pradesh during 2016 - 2017 with tomato seeds (Cv. Arka saurabh). The seeds were coated with polymer in combination with fungicide (thiram) and maintained untreated seeds (control) where T0 is control, T1 is fungicide(thiram) alone 3g/kg of seeds, T2 is polymer @ 3ml/kg of seeds, T3 is polymer @ 5ml/kg of seeds, T4 is polymer @ 7ml/kg of seeds, T5 is polymer @ 3ml + thiram @2g/kg, T6 is polymer @ 5ml/kg + thiram @ 2g/kg and T7 is Polymer @ 7ml + thiram @ 2g/kg of seeds. Treated seeds were packed in polythene bag (700 gauge) and aluminium foil pouch (factor P1 and P2) for the assessment of seed germination, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour indices, moisture content and seed infection where data was subjected to factorial experiment laid out in completely randomized design. Germination percentage, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour indices were high in seed treatment T7P2 as compared to all other seed treatments. However, seed infection and moisture content were lowest in T7P2.