INFLUENCE OF SEED TREATMENT AND SEED SOURCE ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHEAT

Abstract

A laboratory and a field experiment was carried out at the Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during the rabi season from November 2009 to March 2010 to investigate the quality of wheat seeds as affected by seed treatment and different seed sources. Four seed sources considered as treated with Vitavax 200 and untreated consisted of 8 different combinations. The combinations were T 0 S 1 =No Treatment of Farmer seed, T 0 S = No Treatment of Local trader seed, T 0 S 3 = No Treatment of BADC seed, T 0 S 4 2 = No Treatment of BARI seed, T = Treated with Vitavax 200 of Farmer seed, T 1 S = Treated with Vitavax 200 of Local trader seed, T 1 S 3 2 = Treated with Vitavax 200 of BADC seed and T 1 S = Treated with Vitavax 200 of BARI seed. Result showed that Farmers’ seed source was found with 9.62% impurities and inert materials. The highest pure seed was recorded from BARI source which was the most pure compared to all other treatments. BARI seed showed the highest % germination both at laboratory condition (97.06%) and at field condition (92.56%). BADC seed had the lowest seedling emergence percentage. Plant height of Vitavax treated seed sources at 25, 50, 75 DAS and at harvest were the highest. The highest number of leaves plant -1 (6.55) at 25 DAS was recorded from vitavax 200 treated plots. Similar results was observed at 50, 75 DAS and at harvest. BARI seed source produced maximum number of leaves (7.05) at 25 DAS. Number of leaves at 50, 75 DAS and at harvest was found statistically similar where the highest number of leaves (23.85 at 50 DAS, 49.40 at 75 DAS and 89.25 at harvest) were also recorded from BARI seed source. The highest spikes m -2 (221. 50) was recorded in treated plots and BARI seed sources (237.5). BARI seed sources treated with vitavax 200 showed the highest spike lengths with awn (18.99 cm) and without awn (12.60 cm). At harvest the highest shoot weight (465.40 g m -2 ), root weight (34.48 g m -2 ) and total weight (499.88 g m -2 ) was given by BARI seed source treated with vitavax 200 and the lowest dry weight of shoot (323.40 g m -2 ), root weight (16.00 g m -2 ) as well as total dry weight (339.40 g m -2 ) was found in untreated seed collected from local traders. BARI treated seed source showed highest yield (4.16 t ha -1 ). It was followed by BADC(3.61 t ha -1 ) The higher grain yield (3.95 t ha -1 ) was found with vitavax 200 that was 26.60% higher than the untreated seed sources. BARI seed source treated with vitavax 200 gave the highest 1000 grain weight (44.13g), grain yield (4.47 t ha (4.64 t ha -1 -1 4 1 S 1 ) and straw yield ) whereas the lowest performance was recorded form by the treated seeds of local traders and farmers.