Seed Priming with Micronutrients for Improving the Quality and Yield of Hybrid Maize

Seed priming is a pragmatic, easy approach and an effective technique. It may prove to be an alternate approach to soil and foliar application of micronutrients. In this study, the effect of micronutrient seed priming at different concentrations and combinations was evaluated on the productivity of hybrid maize (DK-6578). For priming maize seeds were soaked for 8 h in various solutions of zinc (0.5%), boron (0.01%), manganese (0.01%), boron + zinc (0.01% + 0.5%), boron + manganese (0.01% + 0.1%), and boron + zinc + manganese (0.01% + 0.5% + 0.1%). For comparison, seeds were also soaked in simple water (distilled), i. e. hydropriming, and untreated seeds were taken as control. Seed priming in all the treatments substantially induced the early emergence of maize compared to control. Likewise, highest grain yield, biological yield, cob length, grain rows per cob, grains per cob and 1000-grain weight were observed in plants raised from primed seeds, while boron + zinc + manganese priming (0.01% + 0.5% + 0.1%) was the best treatment. Similarly, maximum boron (77.60 mg/kg) and protein contents (10.82%) were observed in boron + zinc + manganese (0.01% + 0.5% + 0.1%) primed seeds, followed by boron + zinc (0.01% + 0.5%). In conclusion, different seed priming strategies improved emergence, yield and quality of maize. The combined application of boron, zinc, and manganese (0.01% + 0.5% + 0.1%) for seed priming was the most effective treatment technique.