Vol. 10, Issue 10 (2021)

Author(s):
Pavithra M, Renugadevi J, Swarna Priya R and Vigneswari R

Abstract:
The experiment was conducted at Department of Seed Science and Technology, TNAU, Coimbatore during 2020-2021 to standardize the pellet size for easy handling in Amaranthus var. CO₂. The seeds of Amaranthus tricolor were circumscribed by small amount of filler materials and adhesive to produce a globular unit of size and also supply nutrient to the plant. Pellet size in terms of seed size has been standardized by using TNAU pelleting powder as filler material and gum acacia as adhesive to suite the requirement of precision sowing with minimum seed rate. Results showed that the pellet size of 3.2 mm was found to be optimum for mechanized sowing and 14 layers of coating with filler material increases the seed size from 1.3 to 3.2 mm. The seeds coated to 14 layers have recorded maximum germination (79%), root length (4.9cm), Shoot length (5.7cm), vigour index (2978) with speed of germination (5.4) at laboratory condition.