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EFFECT OF VARIOUS PRIMING SOURCES ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF MAIZE CULTIVARS

Jehan Bakht^1*, Rahmat shah², Mohammad ShafI² AND Mohammad Aman khan³

Abstract: The present field study was carried at Malakandher Research Farms KPK Agricultural University, Peshawar, using randomized complete block design. Seeds of four maize varieties (viz., Azam, Sarhad white, Pahari and Sarhad yellow) were primed with 5 different priming sources i.e. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), Potassium nitrate (KNO₃), Sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃) and Water (H₂O) for 17 hours. Various priming sources and maize varieties had a significant (p<0.05) effect on growing degree days, plant height, number of plants at harvest, number of ears plant^-1, number of grains cob^{-1 ,} thousand grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index. Growing degree days were maximum (1865) in unprimed seeds. Maximum grains cob^-1 (419) and biological yield (8060 kg ha^-1) were recorded in KNO₃ primed treatments. Among varieties, Sarhad yellow produced maximum (420) grains cob^-1 and biological yield Maximum 1000 grain weight (231 g) and grain yield of 3498 kg ha^-1 were recorded in Na₂S₂O₃ primed treatments. Among varieties, maximum (239 g) 1000 grain weight and grain yield (3666 kg ha^-1) were produced by Sarhad yellow.

^1*Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, KPK Agricultural University Peshawar

²Department of Agronomy, KPK Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan

³Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics QAU Islamabad, Pakistan

*Corresponding author E-mail: jehanbakht@yahoo.co.uk