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Orgopriming to Enhance Seed Germination in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea

L.)

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Vinothini Nedunchezhiyan Bhavyasree R K

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 Res. Jr. of Agril. Sci. 10(1): 231-233

ISSN: 0976-1675 www.rjas.org Short

Communication
Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences

© Centre for Advanced Research in Agricultural Sciences DI: 5411-0411-050

Orgopriming to Enhance Seed Germination in Groundnut

(Arachis hypogaea L.)
N Vinothini* and R K Bhavyasree1
Department of Seed Science and Technology, 1Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India

*Corresponding author: N. Vinothini (Ph. D. Scholar) Department of Seed Science and Technology,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India
e-mail: ns.vinothini93@gmail.com, Contact: +91 9500676134

Received: 04 November 2018; Revised accepted: 06 January 2019

Key words: Groundnut, Organic seed priming, Seed viability, Germination, Vigour, Seed quality

G roundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is an important

leguminous oilseed crop and commonly called as
poor man’s nut. It is also known as peanut, monkey nut and
goober nut. It is the world 13th most important food crop, 4th
most important source of edible oil and 3 rd most important
source of vegetable protein. Groundnut seed contains 44 to
56% oil and 22 to 30% protein on dry seed basis and is a
rich source of minerals (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium
and potassium) and vitamins (Vinothini et al. 2018, Kaba et
al. 2014).
Good quality seeds having rapid and uniform field
emergence is an essential prerequisite for increased yield,
quality and ultimately profit to farmers. Uniformity and
percentage seedling emergence of direct seeded crops have a
major impact on final yield and quality. Slow emergence
results in weaker seedlings which are more prone to
diseases. Various presowing seed treatments have been
practiced to reduce the time between sowing and seeding
emergence. Heydecker (1973) acknowledged the term “seed
priming” coined by Malnassy (1971) and showed the
beneficial effect of priming. The term seed priming is
synonymous with seed invigouration.
Seed priming is widely used now a day for betterment
of seed performance in terms of higher rate of germination
and uniformity of establishment. Also, it causes the
reduction in emergence time, accomplishment of uniform
emergence and betterment of crop stand in many crops.
More recently priming with a range of agents like hormones,
botanicals, bioagents and growth regulators is under practice
to get the desired benefits during seed germination and later
on good performance of the crop (Janmohammadi et al.
2008).
The genetically pure and freshly harvested pods of
groundnut variety TMV 7 obtained from Oilseeds Research
Station, Tindivanam, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore constituted the study material for the present
investigation. Panchagavya 1%, Vermiwash 25%, Starter
solution 10%, Coconut water 50%, Ginger (Zingiber
officinale) rhizome extract 5%, Garlic (Allium sativum) bulb
extract 5% and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome extract
5% were used as priming agents. Seeds were soaked in those
organic materials for 6 hours with a seed to a solution ratio
of 1:1 (weight: volume). After priming, the seeds were
removed from the solutions, rinsed in water, shade dried at
room temperature and the following seed quality parameters
were assessed. The germination test was conducted with 50
seeds in eight replications for each treatment in sand
medium. The test conditions of 25±2°C and 95±2% relative
humidity (RH) were maintained in the germination room. At
the end of tenth day, the number of normal seedlings
(seedlings showing normal root and shoot development)
were counted and the mean was expressed as percentage.
The germination test was conducted in eight replications
with 400 seeds as per ISTA rules (ISTA 2010). Ten
seedlings were randomly removed from each treatment
carefully so as to remove the plant intact with entire root
system. The length of root and shoot length of seedlings was
recorded from the base of the seedling to the tip of the top
most leaf in each plant and their mean was reported in cm.
For dry matter production, the seedlings selected for root

231
 Vinothini and Bhavyasree
and shoot length were placed in a paper cover, shade dried
for 24 hours and dried in a hot air oven maintained at 80 ±
2°C for 24 hours. Then they were cooled in a desiccator,
weighed and expressed as gram per 10 seedlings. Vigour
index values were computed using the following formula
and the mean values were expressed as whole numbers.
Vigour index = Germination (%) × Total seedling length
(cm) (Abdul Baki 1973). The data were analyzed
statistically adopting the procedure described by Panse and
Sukhatme (1985).
Solutions used for orgopriming
Panchagavya: The following ingredients were used to
prepare 20 litres of panchagavya stock solution. Cow dung
(5 kg), cow’s urine (3 l), cow milk (2 l), cow milk curd (2 l),
cow clarified butter/ghee (1 l). In addition, sugarcane juice
(3 l) tender coconut water (3 l) and ripe banana (1 kg) were
also added to accelerate the fermentation process. All the
materials were added to a wide mouthed mud pot and kept
open under shade. The contents were stirred twice a day for
about 20 minutes; both in the morning and evening facilitate
aerobic microbial activity for 15 days. From this
panchagavya stock solution, three per cent concentration
was prepared for the treatment. The spray solution (500
litres ha-1) was sprayed using hand operated sprayer with
high pare size nozzle as per the treatments.
Vermiwash: It is a watery extract of vermicompost and the
wash of earthworms present in the medium.
Starter solution: It is a mixture of cow dung, cow’s urine
and palm sugar in the ratio of 1:1:0.25. The mixture will be
kept for 24 hours for fermentation and then used.
Coconut water: It is collected from tender coconut formed
5-7 months after spathe exertion.
Ginger or turmeric rhizome extract: Fresh ginger or
Res. Jr. of Agril. Sci. 10(1)
turmeric rhizomes were washed in tap water. 5 g of the
sample was ground by a blender with 100 ml (5%) of
distilled water. The ground mixture was filtered through a
fine cotton cloth.
Garlic bulb extract: The extract was prepared from selected
rootless bulbs of fresh garlic, In order to achieve
concentrations of 5%, the extract was diluted with sterilized
distilled water.
Seed is basic input in agriculture which is an embryo, a
living organism embedded in the supporting tissue. A good
quality seed will respond to fertilizers and other inputs. In
any crop seed production, productivity and quality of the
seed are highly influenced by quality of the seed used for
sowing along with the agronomic and environmental factors.
Among them, it is the quality of the seed which decides
germination percentage, plant population per unit area, yield
and productivity.
The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect
orgopriming on seed quality parameters in groundnut cv
TMV 7. There were significant differences in seed
germination of treated seeds when compared to the control
(81%) which was having lowest germination percent. The
seeds treated with coconut water showed an increased
germination (91%) and was on par with starter solution 10%
(89%) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome extract 5%
(89%). Coconut water is very well known for its content of
enzymes and growth promoting substances especially
cytokinin. Combination of these beneficial factors might
have contributed towards germination improvement.
Mamaril and Lopez (1997) reported similar positive effect
of coconut water in increasing biomass and fruit yield of
sweet pepper. Orgopriming with other organics such as
panchagavya (1%), vermiwash (25%), Garlic (Allium
sativum) bulb extract 5% and Turmaric (Curcuma longa)
rhizome extract 5% were also effective in enhancing the
germination level significantly, over control.

Table 1 Influence of orgopriming on seed quality parameters in groundnut cv TMV 7

Germination Root length Shoot length Drymatter production Vigour
Treatments
(%) (cm) (cm) (g seedling-10) index
T0: Control 81 12.3 12.3 2.20 1993
T1: Panchagavya 1% 85 15.3 15.3 3.44 2601
T2: Vermiwash 25% 82 15.0 15.2 2.98 2478
T3: Starter solution 10% 89 21.1 14.2 3.12 3145
T4: Coconut water 50% 91 20.2 16.3 3.68 3322
T5: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome
89 19.4 16.0 3.56 3149
extract 5%
T6: Garlic (Allium sativum) bulb extract 5% 87 15.5 15.6 3.46 2704
T7: Turmaric (Curcuma longa) rhizome
85 15.1 15.1 3.24 2567
extract 5%
Mean 86 16.7 15.0 3.2 2745
SEd 0.88 0.22 0.25 0.04 42.78
CD (P=0.05) 1.81** 0.45** 0.51** 0.09** 88.29**

The root length of 21.1cm was observed in seeds treated water 50% (16.3 cm), which was on par with ginger rhizome
with starter solution 10% followed by coconut water 50% extract 5% (16.0 cm). Seedling dry weight and vigour index
(20.2 cm). The highest shoot length was recorded in coconut was recorded more in seeds primed with coconut water 50%

232
 Orgopriming to Enhance Seed Germination in Groundnut
with values (3.68 g seedling-10) and 3322 respectively.
Growth hormones in coconut water might have increased the
average dry weight of the plant which can be due to
increased cell division within the apical meristem of
seedling roots.
SUMMARY
The present investigation was carried out to study the
influence of various organic seed priming treatments on seed
quality parameters in groundnut. The groundnut cv TMV 7
was imposed with various seed priming treatments viz.
Panchagavya 1%, Vermiwash 25%, Starter solution 10%,
Coconut water 50%, Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome
extract 5%, Garlic (Allium sativum) bulb extract 5 percent
and turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome extract 5%. The
treated seeds along with control were evaluated for their
seed quality parameters under laboratory condition. The
study revealed that the seeds primed with coconut water
50% recorded higher seed germination (91%), root length
(20.20 cm), shoot length (16.30 cm), dry matter production
(3.68g seedling-10) and vigour index 3322 as compared to
other treatments and control. Coconut water 50 percent
induced the maximum germination per cent, shoot length,
dry matter production of seedlings and vigour index. So, we
can conclude that the 50 percent coconut water can be
effectively used for orgopriming and is the ideal one
followed by starter solution (10%) and the ginger extract
(5%).

LITERATURE CITED
Abdul-Baki A A and Anderson J D. 1973. Vigor determination in soybean seed by multiple criteria 1. Crop Science 13(6):
630-633.
Heydeckar W. 1973. Germination an idea: The priming of seeds. University of Novingham. School of Agriculture report,
1973-74.
ISTA. 2010. International Rules for Seed Testing: Edition 2010. International Seed Testing Association, Bassersdorf,
Switzerland. pp 12-19.
Janmohammadi M, Dezfuli P M and Sharifzadeh F. 2008. Seed invigoration techniques to improve germination and early
growth of inbred line of maize under salinity and drought stress. General and Applied Plant Physiology 34(3/4): 215-
226.
Kaba J S, Kumaga F K and Ofori K. 2014. Effect of flower production and time of flowering on pod yield of peanut (Arachis
hypogaea L) genotypes. Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science 7(4): 2319-2372.
Mamaril J C and Lopez A M. 1997. Comparative effect of coconut water growth harmone extracts on the growth of
freflasked Vanda sanderiana, Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium sp. Protocorms. The Philippines Journal of Coconut
Studies 22(2): 43-47.
Panse V G and Sukhatme P V. 1985. Statistical Methods for Agricultural Workers. Published by Indian Council of
Agricultural Reaerch, New Delhi. pp 97-164.
Vinothini N, Vijayan R and Umarani R. 2018. Studies on flowering pattern in relation to seed filling and seed multiplication
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3321-3328.

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