Priming of radish seeds with plant elicitors like SA, MeJA, BABA and KNO3 improves seed quality, seedling quality and seed health

Abstract

In the present experiment, radish seeds were subjected to priming treatment with different plant elicitors. There were 13 treatments with 4 plant elicitors and each of them was used as priming agents at 3 different concentrations viz. SA @ 25ppm, 50ppm and 75ppm, MeJA at 55 ppm, 110 ppm and 165 ppm, BABA at 250ppm, 500 ppm and 750ppm and KNO3 at 1%, 2% and 3% and Untreated Control. The primed seeds were evaluated for seed quality, seedling quality and seed health parameters with paper towel method, blotter paper method and grow out test. The maximum germination (95.50%), SVI-I (2217.10) & SVI-II (1248.37) and other seed quality and seedling quality parameters were found significantly superior in potassium nitrate @ 2% which was observed at par when primed with salicylic acid @ 50ppm while priming with BABA @ 750 ppm and SA @ 75 ppm were most efficient in enhancing seed health by reducing infected seed percent, infected seedling percent and total seed mycoflora in radish seeds.