Effect of seed priming on growth parameters and yield of lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.)

An experiment was conducted to study the “Effect of seed priming on growth and yield of lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.) at New Dairy Farm, Kalyanpur, during Rabi season of 2016-17 & 2017-18 on lentil variety KLS-218. The experiment was comprised ten seed priming treatments viz., T0- Control, T1- Seed priming with Trichoderma harzianum @ 1.5%, T2- Seed priming with GA3 @ 50ppm, T3- Seed priming with Vitavax power @ 0.25%, T4 - Seed priming with GA3 @ 50ppm + seed coating with Trichoderma harzianum @ 15g/kg seed, T5- Seed treatment with Bavistin @ 3g/kg seed, T6- Seed priming with sodium molybdate @ 500 ppm, T7- Seed priming with sodium molybdate @ 500ppm + seed coating with Trichoderma harzianum @ 15 g/kg, T8- Seed priming with water, T9- Seed priming with leaf extract of Lantana camara @ 10% .The present investigation revealed that seed priming with sodium molybdate @ 500 ppm + seed coating with T. harzianum @ 15g/ kg seed was significantly highest to improved the growth and seed yield parameters over unprimed (control) with highest field emergence (93.66%), number of plants per square meter (237.66), number of pods per plant (137.49), number of seeds per pod (1.81), seed yield per plot (1.22 Kg) & seed yield (12.20 q/ha). Treatment T7 was the best priming treatment as it showed highest benefit cost ratio (1:2.49) which increase growth, yield and seed quality parameters and enhance to the farmer’s income. T1 (seed priming with Trichoderma harzianum @ 1.5%) was found second best priming treatment.