Effect of Seed Invigoration Treatments on Seed Quality of Different Picked American Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Varieties after 15 Months of Controlled Storage

The present study was carried out in the Department of Seed Science and Technology Section, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of seed in vigor at ion treatments on seed quality of American cotton varieties (H-1098 (I), H-1117 and H-1236) picked at different intervals and stored under controlled storage conditions at 20°C with 6% moisture content in sealed plastic containers. Seed ageing leads to reduction in seed quality; during storage, there is reduction in seed vigour potential, performance and stand establishment, poor emergence and high seedling mortality, thus leading to poor crop stand and reduced yield. Improvement in germination by seed priming may combat this problem, as this physiological technique results in faster and synchronous seed germination. This study evaluated the effect of different seed priming treatments on percent germination, seedling length, dry matter and vigour indices on American cotton varieties (H-1098 (I), H-1117 and H-1236) to determine and exploit their usefulness in improving cotton seed quality for better seedling establishment. Seeds of American cotton were primed for 2 h at 25°C with different chemicals (Control, KH₂PO₄, KNO₃, PEG, GA₃ and hydration–dehydration) to enhance its quality, and non-primed seeds were used as control. From the study, it was observed that seeds primed with GA₃ significantly enhanced the seed germination percent, seedling length, seedling dry weight and vigour indices.