Assessment of suitable seed treatment for improving storage potential of groundnut and sesame seeds

Abstract

Groundnut and sesame are the economic commercial crops of India and need special attention for extended storage life due to its high demand and lesser multiplication ratio. The storage of oil seed is most critical both due to the presence of glycerides and amenability to fungal infections. The freshly harvested seeds of groundnut cv. TMV 13 obtained from Oilseeds Research Station, Tindivanam formed the base material for the study. The experiment was conducted at Oilseeds Research Station, Tindivanam during 2016-2017. The groundnut pods with initial moisture content of 8.0 per cent were conditioned to various treatments viz., T1- Control; T2 – Seeds treated with Halogen Vapour @3g/kg of seed; T3 – Seeds treated with Halo Polymer @3ml/kg of seed. After treating the seeds, the seeds were dried to the moisture content of eight per cent and packed in Super Grain Bag. Seeds were evaluated at bimonthly interval upto 6 six months of storage and from seventh month onwards it has been evaluated at monthly basis for its quality parameters viz., Germination Percentage, Root length (cm), Shoot length (cm), Dry matter production (g 10 seedling -1), Vigour index, Electrical Conductivity (dsm-1), Oil Content (Per cent) and Field Emergence (%). The groundnut as well as sesame seed treated with Halo polymer @3 ml/kg of seeds stored in super grain bag maintained better vigour and viability upto 10 months compared to other treatments under ambient condition. The groundnut maintained 53% and sesame maintained 85% at the end of ten months of storage.