Enhancing seed germination and seedling growth through bio-priming techniques in papaya (Carica papayaL.)

Seed bio-priming experiment in papaya was conducted to alleviate the global challenges of low germination rates and weak plant growth. The seeds of two varieties of papaya (Red Lady and Ranchi Local) were immersed in various bio-inputs for 12 or 24 hours while control seeds were sown directly or sunk in tap water for a day before sowing or kept under hot water (50°) for 10 minutes followed by immersing in tap water for 24 hours, before sowing. The trial was performed as factorial CRD having 15 treatments replicated thrice. Overnight soaked seeds performed better than those soaked for a day. Among various seed treatment, papaya seeds immersed overnight in 2 per cent Panchagavya solution not only improved germination precocity, but also augmented germination percentage and seedling growth. Therefore, overnight priming of papaya seeds with 2 per cent panchagavya can improve the rapid multiplication of quality planting materials, thereby ultimately helping the organic nursery growers to meet the consumers’ demands in procurement of quality planting materials for orchard establishment.