Abstract :

Rapid germination is very important for better plant growth and development under stress condition. Presence of hard seed coats, seed borne pathogens and unfavorable environmental condition hinder the normal seedling establishment in legumes. Earlier seed enhancement is mainly achieved through synthetic and plant growth regulators which are not environmental friendly. To evaluate the efficacy of different seed enhancement techniques on seed viability and storability potential of pigeon pea genotypes, an experiment was conducted in Crop Science Department of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Science Umuagwo, Owerri, Nigeria. Treatments in the experiment comprised of seeds of the ten freshly harvested pigeon pea genotypes, treated with five seed enhancement formulations consisting of three organic materials (scent leaf powder, Red chilli fruit powder, Ginger powder), inorganic materials (Aspirin tablet and bleaching powders) and a control. Priming with the selected organic and inorganic materials enhanced the quality parameters compared to untreated control. Aspirin tablet powders and red chili fruit had better viability and vigor performance on pigeon pea seeds than other treatments. The two treatments maintained 70% seed viability even after 360 day of storage. Thus, aspirin tablet powders and red chili fruit are recommended for use by small and medium scale seed dealers and farmers especially where modified seed conditioning is far beyond reach and unaffordable.