Effect of seed invigoration by osmopriming on seed quality parameters in three Capsicum species under

Slow and uneven germination of seeds of Capsicum species are undesirable to the seed producers and farmers.  Seed osmo priming is one of the pre-treatments for enhancing seed quality. An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of osmopriming techniques on seed lots of three Capsicum species. The seeds were primed using seven different solutions for three different priming durations. Primed seed lots were evaluated for seed germination, seedling vigour index, seedling emergence and mean seedling emergence time using factorial arrangement in completely randomized design with three replications. Differences were found in seed germination and germination index among the three Capsicum species. Osmopriming agents and their treatment duration significantly affected seed germination and seedling emergence. Seeds primed in 2% KCl solution gave the highest seed germination while the seeds germinated faster when primed in 4% KCl solution. Longest priming duration of 36h adversely affected seed germination, germination index, seedling vigour,  seedling emergence and mean seedling  emergence time. Seeds of C. frutescens and C. chinense primed for 12h had significantly higher germination than those of C. annuum . The results showed that   priming in distilled water, 2% KCl and 10 and 20% PEG 8000 can significantly improve seed germination in Capsicum species. Keywords : Seed priming, seed vigour, treatment, priming solution and germination.