PRE-SOWING SEED TREATMENTS:
For hydro priming 100 g seeds were soaked in distilled water for 24 hours
and then seeds were re-dried to their original weight with fan air under shade. The
seeds were sealed in airtight polythene bags and placed in refrigerator at 8°C till
further use.
For osmopriming, seeds were soaked in -0.6 MPa Polyethylene glycol
(ave.mol.wt.6000) solution at 25°C for 24 hours. The primed seeds were washed
with running tap water (LEE and KIM, 1999).
For solid matrix priming, first of all seeds were mixed with 1 kg sterilized
compost and press mud separately and 350 ml of distilled water in closed plastic
containers for 24 hours. The partially hydrated seeds were then screened from
the compost and press mud In case of 3rd solid matrix carrier, pieces of jute mat
were cut and a layer of these mat were made at table and then 100 g seeds were
spread on it and covered by a 2nd layer of jute mat pieces. Gunny bag pieces were
saturated with distilled water. This treatment was also given for 24 hours.