Eff ects of surface drying and re-drying primed seeds on germination and seedling growth of chickpea

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of surface drying and re-drying primed chickpea seeds on the germination and seedling growth. The seeds of desi chickpea (cv. Punjab-2008) were soaked in aerated water (hydropriming), or in solutions of CaCl₂ and KCl (ψ_s -1.25 MPa; osmopriming) for eight hours. After priming, seeds were thoroughly rinsed and either surface dried (SD) or re-dried (RD) near to original weight with forced air under shade. All the seed priming treatments improved the coefficient of uniformity of emergence (CUE), emergence index (EI), seedling dry weight (SDW), specific leaf area (SLA) and germination metabolism. Highest improvements in EI, SDW, SLA, α-amylase activity and total soluble sugars were recorded with SD-osmopriming of CaCl₂. Among the priming strategies, SD-priming was better than RD-priming. In conclusion, seeds surface dried after priming may be used in chickpea for improvement in stand establishment and plant growth, if immediate sowing is feasible. Osmopriming with CaCl₂ stimulated the germination metabolism, more than other priming treatments, which was translated to greater improvement in stand establishment and growth.