Optimizing pre-sowing seed treatments for accelerating synchronized germination, better crop establishment, nodulation, low incidence of wilt and Ascochyta blight, and high yield in chickpea under sodic soil

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), being a globally important pulse crop, is contributing about 45 per cent share in total pulse production and 71 per cent in total pulse export of India. Global chickpea market will register a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 4 per cent by 2022. Thus, concerted efforts should be made in order to mitigate the production constraints especially in delaying the seed germination, poor plant stand and wilting in sodic soil condition. Uniform, healthy and dry seed (9% moisture) of chickpea cv. Pusa 362 were, therefore, subjected to pre-sowing seed treatments viz., hydro (soaking in water), GA₃ (50 ppm), KNO₃ (0.2%), KCL (2%), Trichoderma viride (5g/ kg seed), Rhizobium inoculation (20g/kg seed) and thiram (3g/kg seed) for 8 hrs in order to investigate their suitability for coping up of the main constraints viz., poor germination, crop establishment, nodulation, comparatively high incidence of wilt and Ascochyta blight, and finally low yield under sodic soil condition (p H above 8.5). Hydroprimed seed (8 hrs) dressed by either thiram (3g/kg seed) or Trichoderma viride (5g/kg seed) and inoculated with Rhizobium (20 g/kg seed) followed by seed primed with either GA₃ (50ppm) or KNO₃ (0.20%) for 8 hrs accompanied by its dressing with either thiram (3g/kg seed) or Trichoderma viride (5g/kg seed) and Rhizobium inoculation (20 g/kg seed) need to be exploited for acceleration and synchronized germination, better crop establishment, increased nodulation and seed yield of chickpea in particular and in general of other pulse crops under sodic soil condition.