EFFECT OF SEED TREAMENTAND SEED SIZE ON SEED VIGOR, FIELD EMERGENCE AND GRAIN YIELD OF SORGHUM

Abstract

A Field experiment was conducted at the farm of the field crop department-College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad during spring and autumn seasons in 2013. Both lab and field experiments were conducted with CRD design for the former and RCBD for the latter. The objective was to study the effect of seed treatment and seed size on seed vigor, emergence and yield and its components of grainy sorghum (Inqath cultivar). The field and lab experiments had the same factors, which composed of grading seed into three sizes 3.1-3.5, 3.6-4.0 and more than 4 mm. Then, T1 the treatments included untreated seed, T2 primed seed with soaked KCl at 4% concentration for12 hours, T3 treated seed with insecticide (cruiser), T4 soaked seed in hot water for 25 Second,T5 primed seed with distilled water for10 Hours. Results of the laboratory and field trial revealed that T4 treatment gave the highest values of germination percentage in first count test and plumule length in the same test (79.4% and 13.7cm) and also was superior in crop growth rate (CGR) amount to 25.7 gm.m-2day-1 in the spring season, also T2 treatment gave the highest values of germination percentage in the examination of germination final count and the length of radical and the percentage of emergence of the Season spring and yield dry matter and grain yield of the Season autumn average (86.8% and 10.4 cm and 79.3% and 16.21 ton.ha-1and 7.543 ton.ha-1) sequentially, whilst T5 treatment gave the highest values of dry weight of seedlings and field emergence of the season autumn average (17.2 gm and 83.2%), however T3 treatment gave the highest values of CGR and TDM of the season autumn average (39.0 gm.m-2day-1 and 18.29 ton.ha-1and 7. ton.ha-1). Outperformed large seeds in all laboratory tests while Outperformed seed medium and small in all the studied traits in the field experiment, We concluded from this study that seed grading and priming of sorghum before sowing is considered a powerful technique to increasing emergence percentage, field establishment and yield and tolrerance a wider range of environmental condition.