Abstract
The research work was carried out at the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh and Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jessore during the period from 2007 to 2011. Water absorption by BARI hybrid maize-5 was measured at different time intervals and it was found that the soaking duration for maize seed priming could be less than 30 hours. The water absorption was the highest at 31 °C temperature. Emergence of maize seedling was studied under different soaking temperature and duration. Soaking of maize seed for 18 hours at 30 °C water temperature showed highest seedling emergence, i.e. highest germination percentage, germination index and lowest mean germination time. Osmopriming with different salt solutions were studied in a pot experiment. Soaking of seed in 3% ZnSO4 showed the highest seedling emergence which was followed by 1% H2O2 and 3% Ca (H2PO). Maize seedling emergence due to priming was also evaluated under different soil moisture regime in pot and field condition. The pot study showed the highest performance with primed seed sown at field capacity and the lowest from non primed seed sown at 40% of field capacity. The field study showed that the seed sown after hydropriming at field capacity had the highest germination percentage, germination index, dry matter plant', yield and yield contributing characters and the lowest mean germination time. This treatment also showed lowest duration for days to tasseling, days to silking and days to maturity. Thus, sowing maize seeds in soil at higher or lower moisture than field capacity led to decreased germination percentage, germination index, dry matter plant1 (g), yield and yield contributing characters and increased mean germination time, days to tasseling, days to silking and days to maturity. No germination occurred when hydroprimed, osmoprimed or non primed seeds were sown in soil at 50% of field capacity. Primed seed sown at 50% or 75% of field capacity and then irrigated on the following day exhibited emergence performance similar to that obtained from primed seeds sown at field capacity. Seedling emergence was satisfactory for sowing of primed seed in November and February but that was very poor for sowing in December and January. The present study concludes that seed priming could be used as a tool to improve seedling establishment and yield of maize under optimal as well as sub- optimal field environment.