Vol. 11, Special Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Pritpal and Arindam

Abstract:
The tomato, or (Solanum lycopersicum L.), is a member of the Solanaceae family and one of the most widely grown and processed vegetables with a significant nutritional contribution to the human diet. Even though there is a growing market for it, production is constrained by a scarcity of high-quality seeds, which is mostly due to inadequate seed extraction techniques, especially for large-scale seed production. Unsatisfactory seed extraction techniques may potentially contribute to widespread disease epidemics. There is a dearth of empirical data regarding tomato seed extraction techniques' immediate and long-term effects. To find out how different seed extraction techniques affect the physiological quality of tomato seeds and seedlings; this study was started. An entirely random design was used to conduct the experiment in both lab and field settings. The results showed that 2 percent HCl for 60 minutes produced the maximum germination percentage (99.33 and 89.76 percent under laboratory and field conditions, respectively). While the maximum weight of 1000 seeds (4.277 g) were discovered after 30 minutes of exposure to 1 percent HCl, the highest mycoora load (36 percent) was discovered after 72 hours of fermentation. However, despite the increased HCl content (2 percent and greater) and duration, no mycoora were found (60 minutes and longer time). When using a 2 percent HCl extraction method for 60 minutes, seed quality indicators like seedling length, seedling fresh weight, seedling dry weight, and vigour indices were significantly greater.