Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, C.C.S. University, Meerut-250 005, India.
A laboratory experiment on seed priming in rice with K2SO4 was conducted with four genotypes (Pusa Basmati-1, Basmati-385, Saket-4 and IR-36) and six concentrations of K2SO4 salt (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.0%, 8.0% and 16.0%) for 5 min, 30 min and 24 h durations. Data on the following quality parameters viz., root length, no. of roots/seedling, shoot length, fresh and dry weights of seedling and germination were recorded. Seed priming with K2SO4 for 24h was effective in enhancing germination and seedling growth. Significant differences were observed between genotypes due to K2SO4 priming. Among the four cultivars of rice tested, IR-36 was highly responsive to K2SO4 salt particularly at 1.0% concentration.
