Vol. 11, Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Neha Yeddula, Samir Ebson Topno, Vartika Srivastava, Vijay Bahadur, VM Prasad and Sanjay K Singh

Abstract:
The present investigation was conducted in controlled glasshouse conditions during October 2021 to March 2022. The experiment was performed on papaya varieties Red Lady and Pusa Delicious. Nine seed pre-treatments, viz., T₁ Control- double-distilled water), T₂ (GA₃ @ 100 ppm), T₃ (GA₃@ 200 ppm), T₄ (kinetin @ 50 ppm), T₅ (kinetin @ 100 ppm), T₆ (potassium nitrate @ 1000 ppm), T₇ (potassium nitrate @ 2000 ppm), T₈ (thiourea @ 1000 ppm), and T₉ (thiourea @ 2000 ppm) soaked for 48 h, replicated thrice in factorial randomized block design (FRBD). The seeds were sown in sand: soil: vermiculite: perlite (2:1:1:1) and maintained under controlled glasshouse conditions. Pre-treatment of papaya seeds with thiourea @ 1000 ppm in var. Red Lady was found to be superior in terms of days to 50% germination (16.21), germination (96.00%), attaining plant height (8.64 cm), stem girth (1.83 mm) at 75 days of sowing, length of primary root (6.96 cm), root thickness (0.28 mm), average leaf area (42.42 cm²), total chlorophyll (6.39 mg/g FW), and total phenols (14.84 mg/g FW). On the basis of the above results, it is concluded that the pre-treatment of seed in thiourea @ 1000 ppm in var. Red Lady and GA₃ @ 100 ppm in Pusa Delicious were found most effective for enhancing seed germination when raised under controlled glasshouse conditions during winter months.