Research Article

Influence of chemicals and crude plant materials as pre-storage treatment on seed quality of onion

Md. Sadiqur Rahman¹, Parimal Chandra Sarker², Md. Arafat Hossain³, Md. Ahasan Habib⁴, Momena Akter Sweety⁵, Md. Selim Reza^6*

¹Scientific Officer, Seed Technology Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh

²Principal Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh

³Senior Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh

⁴Scientific Officer, RARS, Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh

⁵Assistant Director, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh

^*6Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Corresponding author e-mail: selim.bsmrau48@gmail.com

(Received: 10/01/2022; Revised: 22/04/2023; Accepted: 30/04/2023)

ABSTRACT

Fresh onion seeds dried to 7.0% seed moisture content were stored with crude plant materials (red chili powder@20g/kg of seed; neem leaf powder@ 20g/kg of seed, lemon leaf powder @ 20g/kg seed), and chemicals (common bleaching powder and mancozeb @ 2g/kg of seed). The germination potential of onion seeds was found satisfactory in treated seeds. Water uptake during imbibition was maximum in lemon leaf treated seed which indicates better germination as the imbibition of water is an essential part of germination. A high correlation between EC measurements and germination was found; which indicates that conductivity readings have the potential to provide a rapid assessment of standard laboratory germination. In terms of seed-associated pathogens during storage, chemicals have shown better results in suppressing pathogens.

Keywords: Crude plant materials, Onion, Seed, Quality, Storage.