Abstract
Pre-storage dry physiological treatment of harvest fresh (high-vigour) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Sonalika seed with finely powdered aspro (active ingredient (ai) ortho-acetylsalicylic acid 56.5% @ 100 mg kg-1 of seed], ibucon (ai, ibuprofen, 28.57%; and paracetamol, 71.42% @ 100 mg kg-1 of seed), and common bleaching powder (ai, calcium hypochlorite, 50% @ 2 g kg-1 of seed) showed significant improvement on vigour and viability over the untreated control after natural aging under ambient conditions (relative humidity, 81 ± 1.9% and temperature, 29.6 ± 0.3°C). Finely powdered dry red chilli (Capsicum frutescens L.) fruit @ 1 g kg-1 of seed and trigonella (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed powder @ 1 g kg-1 of seed also improved storability over the untreated control. Mid-storage soaking-drying treatment with water, which was included for the comparison with the pre-storage dry treatments, was equally effective in reducing seed deterioration and improving post-storage germinability. Dry-dressing with the fungicides showed their compatibility with the physiological wet and dry treatments. None of them reduced the beneficial effects of vigour and viability, maintaining physiological treatments. The field performance and productivity of the crop raised from seeds of the physiological (pre-storage) and wet (mid-storage) treatments were consistently superior to the untreated control. The final emergence of seedlings in the field (plant population) was significantly improved by aspro and captan. All the physiological treatments showed greater numbers of effective (ear-bearing) tillers than the control, while amongst the fungicides, such improvements were shown by captan and bavistin. Regarding grain yield, all the physiological treatments except trigonella seed powder improved yield per unit area, but the overall effect of the fungicides was not significant; however, none of them showed any negative interaction with the physiological treatments.
