Improvement in seed germination by chemical hardening in blackgram

An attempt was made to identify a suitable and effective chemicals for seed hardening and improving the seed germination under drought conditions. The chemicals used for seed hardening were KCl 1%, KH₂PO₄ 1%, CaCl₂ 1%, KCl + KH₂PO₄ + CaCl₂ (1:1:1), NaCl 1%, FeSO₄ 0.5%, FeSO₄ 1%, GA₃ 100 ppm, KNO₃ 0.5%, Kinetin 100 ppm, IAA 100 ppm, IBA 100 ppm, water and control. Among the chemicals, seed hardening with KCl 1% improved the seed germination (94%) and other quality parameters, compared to control (82%).