Abstract
The study was aimed at determining the effect of fertilizer elements sulphur, calcium, magnesium and Bradyrhizobium fertilization in improving the quality of groundnut seed in the field, its storage performance by maintaining three levels of initial moisture content of seed and storing in two types of storage container. The field experiments were conducted in 1997-98 and 1998-99 in the Oil Seed Division, BARI Joydebpur, Gazipur and the laboratory experiments were also conducted in the laboratory of the same division.Results revealed that among the fertilizing elements sulphur and calcium significantly affected all the yield attributes and yield while magnesium affected the yield and some of the major yield attributes. Bradyrhizobium fertilization affected the yield significantly but it did not influence the yield attributes. In storage the doses of sulphur at 60 kg S/ha, calcium at 150kg Ca/ha, and magnesium at 10kg Mg/ha checked the deterioration of both the germination percentage and vigour index of stored seeds than that of untreated ones but the seeds obtained from inoculation failed to check the deterioration. Storage containers, especially the polythene bags, helped to maintain the storage life of seed. Seeds obtained from 60kg S/ha, 150kg Ca/ha and 10kg Mg/ha stored in polythene bags retained the germination percentage up to the standard level of ISTA (ranging between 70 to 80 %) for 5 months efficiently. Least initial moisture content of seed (7.25%) produced from the above doses of fertilizer elements also played a vital role in keeping the quality of stored seed for up to the ISTA’s standard. Results in respect of pod yield and storage performance in terms of percentage of germination and vigour index indicated that groundnut seeds obtained from use of sulphur, calcium and magnesium fertilizers during production and stored in polythene bags could retain better seed quality, provided seeds were dried to a safe moisture level of 7.25% to 8.46%.